Schools in a tailspin, amid record drop-out rates, and universities topping the world for quality
Take a closer look at schooling at a time when the knowledge economy dominates. Consider it both in view of the Italian Constitution (Article 34 rightly calls for it to be ‘open to all’ and prescribes that ‘the able and deserving, even if deprived of the means, have the right to attain the highest levels of education’) and in the context of the challenges posed by the world today. Namely, demographic decline, which needs to be offset by far-sighted management of immigration and policies for social, cultural and economic inclusion, and the need for solutions to the environmental and digital transition and the spread of AI (Artificial Intelligence) across all areas of our lives. These are societal challenges. But they are also economic challenges, and relate to citizenship and to building sustainable development, with a focus on the new generations.
So, in what kind of health is Italian schooling? Very good is the answer – that is, if you read the QS World Ranking 2024, which analyses over 1,500 universities and places Italy seventh in the world and second in Europe by rankings in the various Top 10 lists across both humanities and science disciplines. Schools, on the other hand, are still quite bad, if we take Eurostat data on school drop-out rates, which sees the country fifth worst among EU states: 11.5% of our 11-24 year olds are affected, two points above the European average (9.6%).
In short, higher education is improving, although we still have too few graduates (especially in the STEM subjects, i.e. science, technology, engineering and mathematics). But we remain drastically behind in middle and secondary education, where the expectations and hopes of tens of thousands of girls and boys are dashed. This disregards the Constitution and wastes opportunities for a better quality of life and work.
Looking closely at the data, however, we find that some progress has been made: In 20 years, the number of young people leaving the school system with only a secondary school leaving certificate or lower has halved (the Italian rate used to be 24%, compared to an EU average of 17%). We remain among the bottom countries, that much is true. But, in our efforts to catch up, we achieved the EU target for 2020, which was 16%: five points better than expected. In 2030, the target will be 9%. Will we manage to achieve it? There is certainly hope,
but regional gaps remain strong. The specialist portal Skuola.net, analysing in detail the Eurostat data we are talking about here, shows that there are 10 regions with drop-out rates below 10%, in line with the EU’s requirements: Lombardy, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Abruzzo, Molise, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lazio, and then the most virtuous regions, Umbria (7.3%), Marche (5.8%) and Basilicata (5.3%).
But in the South, unfortunately, things are not so rosy: drop-out rates rise to 13.8% on average – in Sardinia they stand at 15%, in Campania 16% and in Sicily they are disastrous, at almost 19%.
These figures are, of course, also reflected in employment prospects. Between 2008 and 2020, the rate of 18-24 year olds who left school early and found employment plummeted from 51% to 33.2%.
An alarming rate of school drop-outs, then, with a worsening of the already marked territorial and social differences. But there has also been a decline in the quality of education, if we look at the data from tests conduced by INVALSI (a national body that evaluates education standards). Upon obtaining their upper secondary school leaving certificate, half of the pupils do not reach expected levels in at least one of the three subjects under observation (mathematics, Italian, and English). And almost one in ten students does not achieve a pass grade in all three of the subjects. These levels peak in the most disadvantaged social areas. In the South, that means, in particular, Campania, Calabria, Sicily and Sardinia.
From the perspective of balancing future development, the situation is aggravated by constant emigration from the southern regions – hundreds of thousands of girls and boys, those most educated, trained, enterprising and capable of building a future.
Overall, it’s a lopsided unbalanced and unequal picture. But it’s far from lacking any chance of recovery.
It may be true that a pessimist is nothing more than a well-informed optimist, to cite Oscar Wilde’s famous aphorism. But it is likely to be equally true that, in analysing this historical period, the comparison between Italy and the countries we are competing with reveals aptitudes and qualities that need to be leveraged better in order to make them not only, or not quite so much, a source of national pride, but above all a cornerstone of political choices and conscious possibilities for development.
This is why, then, alongside a reasoned and well-founded critique of the many shortcomings of our university system, it is worth taking a look at the QS Ranking 2024 reports mentioned above (in Corriere della Sera, IlSole24Ore, la Repubblica, 11 April) and highlighting the positive results of Sapienza in Rome, the Scuola Normale in Pisa, Bocconi, the Politecnico di Milano, Politecnico di Torino, the Luiss in Rome and Federico II in Naples, etc. These are centres of excellence, both for humanistic studies and scientific knowledge, for engineering and architecture, and for design and art. They occupy leadership positions we need to be clear about, to continue to invest in teaching and research, leveraging experience and an aptitude for innovation.
The reference horizon is a cultura politecnica, an original feature of Italian life that can bind humanistic and scientific knowledge together. And this is something companies can also continue to leverage in order to improve the competitiveness of their products and services in particularly selective international markets.
In a nutshell, training must focus on knowledge rather than skills. Because it is knowledge that allows you to know what to do, how to do it and why. It is, in fact, the result of a widespread cultura politecnica, that is, a culture that is capable of fusing technological innovation, as an outcome of scientific research, with a taste for beauty, as an expression of humanistic knowledge. And, in doing so, it reveals the essence of doing business in Italy.
This was discussed a few days ago in Trento at “CamLab: Dialogues on Enterprise and Innovation”, an initiative of the local Chamber of Commerce. It proposed that in a large open country like Italy, which is both competitive and inclusive, training should be conceived as a supply chain process – a network that engages all the companies that are involved in a product. An ability to do things. And a commitment to ‘passing on knowledge’, that is, to building a new narrative of enterprise, creativity and productivity.
Moreover, at the very etymological root of ‘compete’ lies the idea of striving together towards a goal: economic and social growth, with the widespread production of value, across companies and local areas. Which, in turn, attracts investment and quality people, ideas and vessels for knowledge. This is why training must work on mobilising companies, politicians and trade associations. And tax breaks should be used more to stimulate companies, local areas and associations to invest in knowledge – that is, in training. In educational and vocational training that looks to the long-term. ‘Lifelong learning’, as the business management manuals say.
The reasoning behind this goes back to universities and the leading positions they occupy, as revealed by the QS Ranking. It follows the assessment of Francesco Profumo, former Rector of the Politecnico di Torino, former Minister of Education and former President of the CNR and the Compagnia di San Paolo: ‘We are at a period in history where we need to hybridise knowledge. We have realised, fortunately, that the results of technology alone are not enough. We need a more “rounded” vision that has ethical, social and humanistic elements. In this respect, our culture has deep roots that without doubt need to be incorporated into modernity. Last year was the centenary of the Gentile Reform of education, and we also celebrated the 60th anniversary of the unification of the secondary school system. We are a very interesting country that other cultures look to with interest.’ (HuffingtonPost Italy, 11 April).
Profumo is indeed right when he states that ‘the cultural model in which we find ourselves, together with Germany and France, regardless of the individual rankings, is current and modern – and the QS rankings prove it. The central theme is that these countries have preserved a tradition while the Anglo-Saxon world is more focused on immediacy. We focus on knowledge, they focus on skills – but they become obsolete faster and need to be revised and regenerated from time to time. Knowledge, on the other hand, is a true and lasting value for those who possess it.’
The challenge is political and involves long-term national and European choices. And while it may be true that Europe, at this challenging time of major geopolitical conflicts, has, unfortunately, limited clout, it is precisely the EU’s insistence on culture, knowledge, and education that can restore our role and level of contribution.
(photo Getty Images)
Take a closer look at schooling at a time when the knowledge economy dominates. Consider it both in view of the Italian Constitution (Article 34 rightly calls for it to be ‘open to all’ and prescribes that ‘the able and deserving, even if deprived of the means, have the right to attain the highest levels of education’) and in the context of the challenges posed by the world today. Namely, demographic decline, which needs to be offset by far-sighted management of immigration and policies for social, cultural and economic inclusion, and the need for solutions to the environmental and digital transition and the spread of AI (Artificial Intelligence) across all areas of our lives. These are societal challenges. But they are also economic challenges, and relate to citizenship and to building sustainable development, with a focus on the new generations.
So, in what kind of health is Italian schooling? Very good is the answer – that is, if you read the QS World Ranking 2024, which analyses over 1,500 universities and places Italy seventh in the world and second in Europe by rankings in the various Top 10 lists across both humanities and science disciplines. Schools, on the other hand, are still quite bad, if we take Eurostat data on school drop-out rates, which sees the country fifth worst among EU states: 11.5% of our 11-24 year olds are affected, two points above the European average (9.6%).
In short, higher education is improving, although we still have too few graduates (especially in the STEM subjects, i.e. science, technology, engineering and mathematics). But we remain drastically behind in middle and secondary education, where the expectations and hopes of tens of thousands of girls and boys are dashed. This disregards the Constitution and wastes opportunities for a better quality of life and work.
Looking closely at the data, however, we find that some progress has been made: In 20 years, the number of young people leaving the school system with only a secondary school leaving certificate or lower has halved (the Italian rate used to be 24%, compared to an EU average of 17%). We remain among the bottom countries, that much is true. But, in our efforts to catch up, we achieved the EU target for 2020, which was 16%: five points better than expected. In 2030, the target will be 9%. Will we manage to achieve it? There is certainly hope,
but regional gaps remain strong. The specialist portal Skuola.net, analysing in detail the Eurostat data we are talking about here, shows that there are 10 regions with drop-out rates below 10%, in line with the EU’s requirements: Lombardy, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Abruzzo, Molise, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lazio, and then the most virtuous regions, Umbria (7.3%), Marche (5.8%) and Basilicata (5.3%).
But in the South, unfortunately, things are not so rosy: drop-out rates rise to 13.8% on average – in Sardinia they stand at 15%, in Campania 16% and in Sicily they are disastrous, at almost 19%.
These figures are, of course, also reflected in employment prospects. Between 2008 and 2020, the rate of 18-24 year olds who left school early and found employment plummeted from 51% to 33.2%.
An alarming rate of school drop-outs, then, with a worsening of the already marked territorial and social differences. But there has also been a decline in the quality of education, if we look at the data from tests conduced by INVALSI (a national body that evaluates education standards). Upon obtaining their upper secondary school leaving certificate, half of the pupils do not reach expected levels in at least one of the three subjects under observation (mathematics, Italian, and English). And almost one in ten students does not achieve a pass grade in all three of the subjects. These levels peak in the most disadvantaged social areas. In the South, that means, in particular, Campania, Calabria, Sicily and Sardinia.
From the perspective of balancing future development, the situation is aggravated by constant emigration from the southern regions – hundreds of thousands of girls and boys, those most educated, trained, enterprising and capable of building a future.
Overall, it’s a lopsided unbalanced and unequal picture. But it’s far from lacking any chance of recovery.
It may be true that a pessimist is nothing more than a well-informed optimist, to cite Oscar Wilde’s famous aphorism. But it is likely to be equally true that, in analysing this historical period, the comparison between Italy and the countries we are competing with reveals aptitudes and qualities that need to be leveraged better in order to make them not only, or not quite so much, a source of national pride, but above all a cornerstone of political choices and conscious possibilities for development.
This is why, then, alongside a reasoned and well-founded critique of the many shortcomings of our university system, it is worth taking a look at the QS Ranking 2024 reports mentioned above (in Corriere della Sera, IlSole24Ore, la Repubblica, 11 April) and highlighting the positive results of Sapienza in Rome, the Scuola Normale in Pisa, Bocconi, the Politecnico di Milano, Politecnico di Torino, the Luiss in Rome and Federico II in Naples, etc. These are centres of excellence, both for humanistic studies and scientific knowledge, for engineering and architecture, and for design and art. They occupy leadership positions we need to be clear about, to continue to invest in teaching and research, leveraging experience and an aptitude for innovation.
The reference horizon is a cultura politecnica, an original feature of Italian life that can bind humanistic and scientific knowledge together. And this is something companies can also continue to leverage in order to improve the competitiveness of their products and services in particularly selective international markets.
In a nutshell, training must focus on knowledge rather than skills. Because it is knowledge that allows you to know what to do, how to do it and why. It is, in fact, the result of a widespread cultura politecnica, that is, a culture that is capable of fusing technological innovation, as an outcome of scientific research, with a taste for beauty, as an expression of humanistic knowledge. And, in doing so, it reveals the essence of doing business in Italy.
This was discussed a few days ago in Trento at “CamLab: Dialogues on Enterprise and Innovation”, an initiative of the local Chamber of Commerce. It proposed that in a large open country like Italy, which is both competitive and inclusive, training should be conceived as a supply chain process – a network that engages all the companies that are involved in a product. An ability to do things. And a commitment to ‘passing on knowledge’, that is, to building a new narrative of enterprise, creativity and productivity.
Moreover, at the very etymological root of ‘compete’ lies the idea of striving together towards a goal: economic and social growth, with the widespread production of value, across companies and local areas. Which, in turn, attracts investment and quality people, ideas and vessels for knowledge. This is why training must work on mobilising companies, politicians and trade associations. And tax breaks should be used more to stimulate companies, local areas and associations to invest in knowledge – that is, in training. In educational and vocational training that looks to the long-term. ‘Lifelong learning’, as the business management manuals say.
The reasoning behind this goes back to universities and the leading positions they occupy, as revealed by the QS Ranking. It follows the assessment of Francesco Profumo, former Rector of the Politecnico di Torino, former Minister of Education and former President of the CNR and the Compagnia di San Paolo: ‘We are at a period in history where we need to hybridise knowledge. We have realised, fortunately, that the results of technology alone are not enough. We need a more “rounded” vision that has ethical, social and humanistic elements. In this respect, our culture has deep roots that without doubt need to be incorporated into modernity. Last year was the centenary of the Gentile Reform of education, and we also celebrated the 60th anniversary of the unification of the secondary school system. We are a very interesting country that other cultures look to with interest.’ (HuffingtonPost Italy, 11 April).
Profumo is indeed right when he states that ‘the cultural model in which we find ourselves, together with Germany and France, regardless of the individual rankings, is current and modern – and the QS rankings prove it. The central theme is that these countries have preserved a tradition while the Anglo-Saxon world is more focused on immediacy. We focus on knowledge, they focus on skills – but they become obsolete faster and need to be revised and regenerated from time to time. Knowledge, on the other hand, is a true and lasting value for those who possess it.’
The challenge is political and involves long-term national and European choices. And while it may be true that Europe, at this challenging time of major geopolitical conflicts, has, unfortunately, limited clout, it is precisely the EU’s insistence on culture, knowledge, and education that can restore our role and level of contribution.
(photo Getty Images)