Monday, October 25, 2010

Government limits number of foreign pupils in each classroom


Gelmini: The cap will not be applied to immigrant pupils born in the country,

15th January 2010: The Government has decided to impose a 30 per cent limit on the number of immigrant pupils in public school classes from the next academic year, Education Minister Mariastella Gelmini has said.

She, however, clarified that the cap will not be applied to immigrant pupils born in Italy. By the time they begin school at the age of seven, immigrant children born in Italy already speak Italian, the minister said.

She said the measure was suggested by Principals and teachers from schools in areas where there is a high population of immigrants. In the outskirts of big cities, there are classes which are composed exclusively of immigrant pupils, she said. Such classes, where there are no conditions for true integration, risk becoming ghettos, she said.

Ms. Gelmini stressed that the cap is aimed at creating a balance between the number of foreign and Italian children. The decision to impose a cap on the number of immigrant pupils per class is not aimed at discriminating against them, but to promote their integration, she said.

Once the required number of immigrant children has been reached, extra pupils will be transferred to nearby schools, the minister said.

The local authorities will organise for the transport of pupils to the nearby schools. The Government has allocated 20 million Euros to facilitate integration of immigrant children who arrive in the country at the age between 10 and 12. The money will be used to finance language courses.

Mass exodus of Italian students from public to private schools due to poor learning conditions is something that the Government must address, Ms. Gelmini said.

Home Affairs Minister Roberto Maroni defended Ms. Gelimini’s measure saying that immigrant pupils sometimes speak different languages which makes it difficult to have a common balance in the classroom.                                                                             

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