What prospects for the students? ---- Boys and girls who enroll in
private paritarie schools experience an immediate sense of relief: amuch more relaxed environment, lighter or even absent workloads, and the
perception that they will certainly be promoted... it's obvious they
feel they have shaken off some problems. But once they leave this
"protected" environment-whose main imperative is to push them through at
all costs, especially for the sake of the tuition fees-what impact might
they face? Yes, they will obtain a diploma legally recognized by the
state, but what real skills-a term so often abused today-will they have
gained?
Over time, many of them realize that, while they hold that piece of
paper, it has been emptied of its truest meaning: a path of growth and
learning. They understand, in the end, that the state school, despite
its undeniable flaws, was perhaps not so bad after all.
How is it possible that these students pass the same high school
graduation exam as those in public schools, given such conditions? To
answer, we must start with the fact that everyone-students, teachers,
and school owners-knows there will be trouble if a Ministry inspector
shows up during the exam. In reality, such inspections are still rare or
nonexistent, despite the government's much-vaunted measures. In any
case, all efforts aim to carry the process to completion without
"shocks." The exam chairperson and appointed external members often
cooperate with the internal board to support the students as much as
possible, showing great "generosity" in grading. But what's the point?
The real question is: what sense would it make to suddenly block them at
the finish line, after having brought them this far unchallenged, with
the clear intent of getting them through? It's rare, therefore, for
anyone to push back.
What prospects for the teachers?
Amidst all this chaos, there's a lack of analysis of one essential
protagonist in the school system: the teachers of private paritarie.
First of all, they are not recruited through the official public
rankings used for state schools. This already raises questions about
what "parity" actually means compared to the public system. Instead,
it's the school owner-or their HR manager-who screens resumes, conducts
job interviews, and hires based purely on discretionary criteria. In
short, no public ranking applies; the private school simply checks that
the teacher meets minimum entry requirements.
Equally "non-paritary" is the way contracts are handled: at best, a
fixed-term contract is signed until June 30 under a coordinated
collaboration scheme, with pay "per presence," no paid vacation or sick
leave, and an average net hourly wage of EUR10. A striking case was the
Covid period, when many teachers stayed home and simply received no pay
for their sick days. In worse cases, "payment" comes only as points for
the provincial teaching rankings. Italy already ranks at the bottom for
public teacher pay; here it's even worse. In upper secondary schools,
the maximum workload is 18 weekly hours, which at best means around
EUR800 per month. And often this is not reached, because many private
schools have few classes, especially in low-hour subjects.
Given such contracts, one wonders what meaning "parity" has if the
school owners themselves indirectly signal that their service is low
quality. There's no other way to explain such an extreme disparity with
public contracts.
And the actual teaching activity? In today's precarious Italian school
system, a contract in a private school is often one of the few ways
young teachers can earn ranking points and gain experience. School
owners know this and exploit it. What appears as an opportunity becomes
an employment blackmail: the employer leverages the supposed "privilege"
of helping the teacher accumulate points for public hiring, making them
more willing to accept poor conditions in the hope of a better future.
When, during a job interview, one is told: "At this school we don't like
bad grades," the message is very clear.
If there's anything truly "paritary" between these schools and public
ones, it's the burden of responsibility placed on teachers. In fact,
private schools may demand even more: beyond the usual teaching duties,
there's the task of safeguarding the school's brand as a business. Here
lies one of the greatest distortions: students are "customers"-or more
accurately, parents as customers-who must be kept satisfied to ensure
profit. Teachers are not free: no matter their passion or innovative
strategies, they must conform to business goals, clientelism, and the
implicit message that "your child will advance because you're paying."
Why resist? Thus, everyone is promoted; grades are deliberately inflated
to allow progression, exam admission, and graduation. This once again
shows the need to rethink evaluation, to end the "hegemony of grades"
and put students' learning journeys back at the center.
When, as often happens, teachers face unmanageable classes with many
behavioral issues, we must remember: the fault does not lie with the
students but with a leadership incapable of building a functional school
system and fair laws to prevent such inequalities. "Paritarie" schools?
Hardly.
https://www.sicilialibertaria.it/
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