It would be completely simplistic, regardless of any other consideration, to
limit the question of verifying merit, or presumed merit, to students. Afunctional educational system, from kindergartens to university, is in the firstinstance linked to a correct investment policy, to appropriate and functionallegislation, to constant attention to public schools, to give good training tothe greatest number of people, tending to all members of a nation and extendinguniversity and higher education to a significant part of the population. ----What is the situation in Italy, considering the two parameters just mentioned?Let's leave some data to speak for themselves. Italy is in last place in Europe,followed only by Romania for the level of university education of the population:the entire South and the islands, a large part of the North East and North Westhave a percentage of the population with a university diploma that it fluctuatesbetween 12 and 20%, the lowest in Europe. The rest of the peninsula between 20and 26%[1]. These data are even more disheartening if we compare them with thoseconcerning NEETs, an acronym that indicates people "Not[active]in education, workor training". In this area we have a sad record: more than one young person outof four neither works nor studies: 28.9 against the 16.9 of the European average.The region with the most NEETs is Sicily with 38%, followed by Calabria, Campaniaand Puglia (ISTAT 2020 data).Who has the "merit" for this dramatic reality? It is a sad merit shared by allthe bipartisan governments that have followed one another in recent decades,which have not been able to intervene and reverse these negative trends, indeedthey have even aggravated them. In the light of the considerations just made andthe incontrovertible data cited, one might ask in what capacity the variouspoliticians or parties, all co-responsible albeit to different degrees, can claimthe right to speak of the valorisation of merit in the school, given theirevident and reiterated demerit.But let's deal with the aspect that for the most part evokes the referral tomerit in matters of training and education. We have almost always read commentsand wishes such as: "Recognize merit", "Reward merit", "Valuing merit", etc. Butwhat does this "merit" consist of and where does it come from?In studying, for example, constancy in commitment is even more important thanpersonal qualities and a strong intelligence. The results are almost alwaysderived from a constant commitment over time. Is the commitment worth it,regardless of the results? And again: does merit go beyond the personalsituations and social contexts in which individual students find themselves? Onthe child's first day of school, rankings and classifications of merit couldalready be established: a child coming from a family and from a low schoolingenvironment, from a village or a rural and peripheral reality, will certainlyhave difficulty expressing himself in a fluid and correct Italian, in a languagethat no one speaks in his milieu. Unlike the son of a professional or someone whocomes from a schooled family. In this case, what would it mean to "recognize andreward merit"? Accept and perpetuate social inequalities?But even when we find ourselves faced with secondary and high school students whodeserve a different appreciation for their commitment and the results obtained,the school must recognize the merit of some, creating further divisions anddistances, or rather try to bridge these distances by offering tools to allowthose who are behind to overcome delays and difficulties?Perhaps someone will comment that it would be naïve to expect that in a societybased largely on inequality and the mortification of the dignity of individualsthere could be a school that favors integration, solidarity and equality. Thisobservation is not far-fetched, but the school should also be the place ofculture, training, interaction between students and with teachers; a communitylinked by daily attendance, by bonds of friendship, by the sharing of a project,by the gratification of the progress of individuals and of the group. It shouldbe a community linked to teachers, people who should be capable of guiding,stimulating and directing students by training and maturity. To help those indifficulty, to prevent radical differences in the learning and growth of studentsfrom developing in the classroom.What does all this have to do with merit? Little and nothing. Recognizing themerit of individual students often just means acknowledging and perpetuatingsocial distances, family difficulties, problems of individuals, the inability ofthe school to overcome problems, those of politics to favor schooling,continuation in studies, higher education.The school should not take note of the differences to perpetuate them, but tofill them: it should not establish hierarchies between deserving and undeserving,but favor the integration of the latter by coordinating with the family and withthe social context in which the students live. But these requests often remain adead letter: it is easier, more convenient to reward the "deserving" and sanctionthe others, those who according to the results of statistics and surveys are themost indigent, the least integrated, those of the least developed regions, thosewith family problems, those without resources for private schools, often ashortcut to the diploma.It is no wonder that the current Minister of Education and Merit, very close tothe fundamentalist congregation of the Legionaries of Christ, has argued that inthe school "humiliation is a fundamental factor in the growth and constitution ofthe personality", from which maturation and accountability.Humiliation creates frustration and resentment in those who suffer it, but itserves as a kind of threat to everyone else, a warning to those who don't fall inline. This is the other face of merit, the logic of guilt, punishment,humiliation. But teaching is another thing, it means stimulating the student'sinterest and attention, involving him, helping his growth and awareness, showingunderstanding and solidarity. Another world from meritocracy and humiliation.Enrico Ferri www.ferrisstudies.comhttps://www.sicilialibertaria.it/_________________________________________A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C EBy, For, and About AnarchistsSend news reports to A-infos-en mailing listA-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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