There is an underlying frustration that links the events of March 12 this year. Founded as a day for the defense of the Constitution is gradually turning into a day of mobilization for the defense of public schools. Not by chance.
E 'for some time now that school is under strong attack in Italy, even when underground. The last time was in the order of the Chairman of the Council. And it was far underground ... the policies put in place by the government in recent years it takes a major nuisance in respect of an institution that certainly has many flaws and would certainly need structural reforms. But that remains a key asset for the development of our country. The school is experienced by this government only as an unbearable economic burden in times of reduced budgets. Or even as the place where we transmit values \u200b\u200bcontrary to those of families. But the values \u200b\u200btransmitted in the school are precisely the values \u200b\u200bof the Constitution. So it is no coincidence that March 12, originally designed as a day of defense of the Constitution, subject to vulgar attacks on too long, the day has become the pride of the public school.
The 'threat' of 'good'
Also because, soon after the utterances that triggered the general surprise and indignation, the prime minister raised the issue of 'bonus' families. Again, and at the highest level, the voucher is like waving the flag of freedom of choice. E 'line of subsidiarity in the negative, that which is defended by the state and calls for disengagement of solutions more or less profit, but, above all, in favor of corporate visions and exclusive. The bonus for the families for free choice of schools is a litmus test for understanding the real contents of the conflict.
In essence, the good school is not convincing because it redistributes resources down. For the same admission of representatives of the regional government of Lombardy, where it is normally adopted, the good school balances the social balance in favor of the less affluent. The voucher is normally assigned to those families who choose, thanks to higher income capacity, to have their children attend private schools of excellence. The good, therefore, serves to facilitate this choice, making it less burdensome expense for those who carry it out. But this would drain public resources that should otherwise be used to benefit the school service universal, and the 'deserving' and 'free media'.
In addition, the good is transformed into a form of assistance indirect private company that manages the school, pace of the constitutional provision which recognizes the freedom of private school but 'no cost to the state'. If this is spoken of subsidiarity subsidiarity is very strange, that is not asked the general objectives of human development, social and civil society builds a separate bodies, reproduces the established social hierarchies, escapes to the appeal of fairness.
Subsidiarity and commons
Subsidiarity inspired by our Constitution stands very different objectives. First, the promotion of community property. As readers of Labsus know, common goods are not subject to private appropriation and exclusive: either we are for all, or there are none. In this respect, on peace, environment, dignity, respect for fundamental rights there is no contradiction.
This concept, however, can be extended also to the institutions. Just think of the utilities at the municipal and provincial or structures that administer justice in the various regions of the country or regional health services. In all these cases, we speak of public institutions created with the specific aim of protecting the rights of citizens or to improve the quality of life and welfare conditions. The schools are certainly among these goods.
The school as a common good
There are thousands of examples of parents and students to participate responsibly in the life of their school, increasingly short of resources. There are parents who provide toilet paper to their children, making photocopies for the whole class, who repainted the walls worn by time or vandalized, making collections to meet the necessary expenditure. In many cases, are concerned with the maintenance of gyms or green areas. There are also students who verify and report the security structures which are often dilapidated. In a correct logic of subsidiarity, maybe we should reward these families, these parents, these students who take care of a good of all.
The other issue related to the promotion of the common good is the quality of teaching and service. That should be the highest possible, universal and accessible. Here it could be worth to debunk the myth of the weakness of public education against the alleged superiority of private schools. The official statistics and international surveys indicate that, in Italy, students of the private media have lower scores than public schools. Italy is one of the few cases where this happens: usually the opposite is true. This is already a sign of how mistreated the public school is still a key resource for Italy. And that would be self-injury depleted.
The North-South divide
problems, if any, are others. The most important is the gap between schools in the north-central and southern schools. A gap that poses the classic question of new accessibility, universality and appropriateness of the service. It can no longer be enough - it is clear - the traditional abstract answer for which the homogeneity of the programs of the Ministry ensures the homogeneity of the service. The discrepancy is resolved with new answers. Among these, for example, there are serious evaluation mechanisms that must prevdere the active point view of the users of the school.
But here we need more collaboration between teachers and leaders, too often resigned to the worst, or closed like a clam to fear change. The closures are not good corporate. And they offer the side of the detractors. In this sense, we must recognize that unions have often helped to maintain the status quo rather than accept - or expect - the news with courage and transformation. In this context, the assessment - even citizenship - the education services and the quality of teaching would be a useful exercise of subsidiarity and would improve the level of the Italian school.
Moreover, only with the evaluation (and Certainly, higher wages) can best attract new skills: how many graduates today that Italians really aspire to teach in public schools? How many are back in school, those who see only the last resort for work, when all other roads used did not lead to anything better?
A promise of change
To conclude: March 12 is an extraordinary opportunity to take a close link between the promotion of constitutional values \u200b\u200b(including, for example, the right to know and study and the right vision of subsidiarity) and the care of schools. The school is in the repertoire of practical goods common. Represents a field test of the principle of subsidiarity circular autonomous initiatives of citizens groups that meet and cooperate with government initiatives in achieving the goals that we have briefly described above.
On the other hand, remember that the Constitution is a sacred law, nor dead, but it is almost touching an action program for both individuals and institutions to achieve together. That's why you have to play this opportunity without unnecessary defensive logic. Only then will the events of March 12 will have really happened and can collect the right promise of change.
v.ferla @ cittadinanzattiva.it
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