The Merit Income announced during the election campaign by the President of the Calabria Region, Roberto Occhiuto, is now a reality. But, as often happens, institutional enthusiasm is accompanied by a wave of controversy that affects universities and students, and calls into question the concrete effectiveness of the measure.
The declared objective is ambitious: to combat the flight of young people, encouraging students to remain in Calabrian universities through financial support linked to academic results.
The young Simone D’Adamo, academic senator, intervenes in support of the measure: «Calabria starts again from young people, from merit and from the right to study. Investing in university students means combating emigration before it becomes irreversible. The Merit Income is a first concrete sign.”
Yet, the main criticisms focus precisely on this point. The Merit Income, financed with 15 million euros, provides contributions between 500 and 1,000 euros based on the weighted average, but only concerns a limited audience, estimated at between 7 and 8% of students. Furthermore, the criterion of the average grade as the central element for accessing the benefit risks excluding a significant portion of students, in particular those who work.
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