(ANSA) - Rome, April 28 - The education ministry on Thursday denied reports on several sites that that start of a new selection competition for 63,712 State teaching positions was hit by chaos. "The competition started normally," the ministry told ANSA when asked about the reports. Earlier on Thursday, Education Minister Stefania Giannini said the process was "the biggest (selection) competition in the history of Italian schooling". The average age of the 165,578 candidates taking part is 38.6 years. Some of the candidates are coming towards the end of their careers and there is also a group of 'dissidents' who have organised protests via the Internet against what they describe as a "swindle competition" #concorsotruffa.
The selection is part of the government's 'good school' education reform.
The school-workers sections of four mayor Italian trade unions, CGIL, CISL, UIL and SNALS, announced on Thursday during a rally outside the Lower House of parliament in Rome that they will hold a general strike on May 23.