The Minister of Education and Merit, Giuseppe Valditara, yesterday met the National Coordination Office of the Presidents of Consulta (UCN) for an open confrontation on the main issues related to the Italian school. An appointment that has taken a regular character, on a bimonthly basis.
At the center of dialogue: the prospects of artificial intelligence in school and for school, the psychological well -being of students, the strengthening of the student representation, the positive results of the South and North Agenda, the issue of education for relationships and the relative training of teachers and the strengthening of internationalization activities.
Among the proposals that emerged from the regional coordinators of the Presidents of the Consults, particular importance had the idea of establishing a student representative body at European level, inspired by the model of Italian councils. The minister welcomed the initiative, declaring his commitment to present it to the executive vice -president of the European Commission responsible for education policies, Roxana Mîzatu.
“Consultants are extraordinary tools of democratic participation, for this reason, during my visits to educational institutions I always recommend involving them in decision -making processes and representative bodies within the institutes. Export the Italian Consulting Model in Europe means promoting a school ever closer to the real needs of students”, said Valditara.
“The student representation – affirm Sainta Bonelli and Riccardo Spolaore, respectively the spokesperson and the secretary of the UCN – is a real Italian excellence, which can become a model for all of Europe: this is the challenge that UCN will carry on in the next few months. Integrating the student representatives of the 27 European nations is a process that must see the leading Italy, starting from the students engaged in the provincial councils”.
An important focus was dedicated to the state exam. The minister illustrated the reasons why it will become a high school exam: the aim is to return the value to the symbolic meaning of the exam, also reiterating the importance of the oral exam, which must not only verify knowledge and skills but also the degree of autonomy and responsibility achieved, enhance the study path of the student’s overall growth, once again placing “the person in the center”.
During the meeting, the minister reiterated Mim’s commitment to strengthen psychological support for students and teachers, where fragility emerge, calibrated on the real needs of the school communities.
The updated data relating to the South Agenda were also illustrated, extended for the first time this year to the northern regions through North Agenda. In Campania, the schools involved in the project recorded an improvement of 32 points against the 14 of the schools for which the same path was not started. Positive signals also come from the education front to relationships. At least 90% of high schools have already started curricular courses on the subject and, according to teachers, there is an improvement in the quality of the relationship between students in 70% of cases.
In closing, the minister thanked the teachers and representatives of the councils for their constant commitment and addressed the invitation to participate in the international summit on the AI at school to be held in Naples and the jubilee of education, both scheduled for October 2025: two important occasions of shared reflection on the role of the school in the cultural and civil training of the new generations.