assignment 4

Consider what doors are open and closed here in Italy for immigrants and for youth in general in terms of education?  How do you compare these to the doors in the United States?  What are you basing your opinions and perspectives on?

Education has always been highly respected in my family. Both my mom and my grandma have worked in schools, so education has always been prized and valued in my family and it continues to play an important role in my life.   Growing up I never questioned the quality of the education I was receiving.  As I’ve learned and studied abouteducation I’ve started to view it as a right not a privilege.  I believe that everyone has the right to receive a good education.  In America this is the goal for education, but in other places such as Italy, an equal education for all does not exist. 

Throughout my time here in Rome, I’ve begun to see the struggles and differences many immigrants face while in the education system.  In Italy, many laws are just starting to acknowledge the presence of immigrant children in classrooms and the obstacles they face being in a new environment and understanding the language. 

On January 25, we had Frederica Bianchi and Anna Onorati come and speak to our class.  Both of them work for Carnitas in Rome.  During there visit, I was surprised to learn that 6.4% of the student population (574,133 students) are immigrants and 40% of pupils of foreign origins are in primary schools.  Currently in Italy, Mariastella Gelmini, the Italian Minister of Education, has advocated and passes a law that caps classes with immigrant children at 30%.  This means that many schools are dealing with an excess of immigrant children in their classes.  Schools like the Pisacane School where they have a 90% immigrant population are faced with dealing with Gelmini’s new laws.  For many immigrant children, just getting to school is a struggle.  Anna Onorati commented on how a majority of Indian immigrants work in agriculture, meaning that they live farther away from schools.  These students often have to travel farther distances and sometimes aren’t even able to attend afterschool or summer school activities because of where they live.  Special buses are available to students, but this still leaves a gap between teachers and parents.  This lack in communication is another factor that depends the divide between immigrant students in schools.

Also during their talk, Bianchi and Onorati commented on higher education in Italy.  Growing up in the United States, after high school it was a question of “where are you going to school?” not “what are you going to do?”  I feel that getting a college education is almost the “norm” in American society.  Education in the United States is often looked at, as a way to get ahead in life, thus going to college or a university is all part of the process.  But in Italy it appears as though education isn’t as highly prized.  Very few students pursue a post high school education and those who do receive little support from the government.  Unlike the United States, where financial aid and countless scholarships are available, students in Italy have to rely on their families to support them.  According to Bianchi and Onorati, college tuition is based on the income of the family.  Even with some of the people I’ve talked to here education comes secondary to finding a job.  In Italy, going to college doesn’t always guarantee a job after graduation.  This is the reason why many immigrants are coming to Italy in search of work rather than for studies.

Many immigrants coming into Italy, specifically to Rome, make the journey due to business ties. During one of our excursions we went to Piazza Vittorio, where we talked with some local immigrants.  Through talking to them, I learned that many immigrants come in search of jobs, leaving their families and friends back at home.  I even had the opportunity to talk to a server at one of the restaurants in Campo di Fiori.  He was an immigrant from Albania who came to Rome in search of work.  His connections eventually lead him to a restaurant job in Rome.  I was able to ask him about education and he mentioned that he came to Italy because of studies, but eventually had to drop out so that he could just focus on work.  He said that when he first came, he worked and went to school but in the end it was too hard to keep up with his studies and just decided to work because he needed the money.   He also mentioned that in Italy it common to find youth still living with their parents until their thirties.  It seems as though the option of living at home and working until later in life is more appealing to many youth in Italy, not just immigrants. 

Another guest lecturer our class had the opportunity to hear from was the author of Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio, Amara Lakhous.  During his lecture, he emphasized the importance of youth in Italy.  He said that one of the keys of understanding Italy was its youth.  In Italy, Lakhous explained that it’s almost a shame to be young; something to feel guilty about.  Youth here in Italy are associated with inexperience and immaturity.  Older generations often look down on the youth.  One thing that I really took away from the lecture was the little impact youth have in Italy.  Lakhous mentioned that most young people are open to change but with older generations in positions of power, laws are rarely changed to benefit youth.  In the United States, I feel that the youth have a powerful impact on the country.  People in America look to the future and the changes can be made now.  Children are our future, progress and forward thinking lies in youth.  Many of the brightest and best youth in Italy are leaving because they see no future where they are.  This is leaving Italy stuck in old traditions with hard laws to change.  The older generations also fear that the face of Italy will be changed since 99% of immigrants entering the country are youth.  Italy’s government is resisting the change that is taking place and failing to acknowledge that education may be a key in shaping the younger generations.

 

Education in Italy is changing, but at a slow pace.  The education here in Italy doesn’t recognize the needs of immigrant students and make accommodations for them.  They lack the funds due to budget cuts and adequate funding for teachers.  Children of immigrants, the second generation, and immigrant students only receive a small portion of the help they need in schools and often living so far away adds another obstacle.  Education in Italy needs a transformation, a change to better the needs of immigrants and also to those seeking higher education.