(ANSA) Rome, May 5 - Following are the key points of the
government's Good School reform bill, and the principal
objections by critics:
1. The government plans to permanently hire 100,701
teachers from the list of supply teachers in a bid to turn the
page definitively on precarious employment in the school system.
The 100,701 teachers who could receive permanent jobs in
September will include temporary teachers at primary, middle and
high schools, and the winners of the last public competition for
tenure.
Trade unions object that the government proposal is only a
half solution since it leaves out as many as 50,000 temporary
teachers in technical institutes who have worked for years and
who would be sacked.
2. The bill would confer new powers to school principals,
who would be responsible for evaluating new teachers and
rewarding the best with a monetary bonus. Principals would also
be allowed to choose whom the 100,000 newly hired teachers in
his or her area, and poach teachers from other schools.
Teachers object that concentrating too much power in one
official could be counterproductive, especially if the principal
is not up to the managerial task.
3. In addition to public financing, public schools would
seek funding from voluntary tax donations by parents and private
donations.
This measure has sparked fierce opposition, with critics
saying it will widen the gulf between public schools in affluent
neighborhoods and those in low-income districts.
4. The bill would foster internships, work-study programs
and closer links between schools and the private sector in a bid
to put students in touch with the labor market and to help
business find qualified staff.
Students would alternate between schools and work
experience, with 400 hours in firms for technical schools and
200 hours for high school students.
Critics say schools will lose their educational aspect.
5.The bill allocates as many as four billion euros for
school construction and renovation in coming years, bringing
36,000 existing school buildings up to code.
6. The bill contains tax deductions of up to 400 euros per
student per year for parents who send their kids to private
school.
This will cost taxpayers an estimated 100 million euros, in
addition to 472 million euros earmarked each year for the
non-public school system.
Critics say the State should not be paying for private
education because it undermines the public school system.
Also under the bill, public school teachers would be
allocated 500 euros a year to be spent on additional cultural
activities for their students. These can be theater tickets,
books, software, or whatever else the teacher decides.
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