Non-state actors in education
2.2 Non-state education provision
3.1 Regulations by distinct levels of education
- Early childhood care and education (Entry/Establishment ○ Financial operation ○ Quality of teaching and learning ○ Equitable access ○ Quality assurance, monitoring and accountability)
- Primary and secondary education (Entry/Establishment ○ Financial operation ○ Quality of teaching and learning ○ Equitable access ○ Quality assurance, monitoring and accountability)
- Tertiary education (Entry/Establishment ○ Financial operation ○ Quality of teaching and learning ○ Equitable access ○ Quality assurance, monitoring and accountability)
3.3 Supplementary private tutoring
Article 33 of the Italian Constitution allows ‘entities and private persons’ to establish non-state schools. Entities and private persons may refer to local authorities, for-profit and not-for profit subjects, and foreign citizens and authorities. Further, with the aim to expand education provision, Law 62/2000 categorises non-state schools as independent schools with parity and independent schools without parity. Decree 267/2007 (Art.1) indicates that independent schools can be managed by a physical person, a legal entity: private entity or a local or regional entity, or a religious entity.
2.1 State education provision
In Italy, the majority of schools are public and provide compulsory and free education in primary education (92% of total schools, 5 years beginning at age 6), lower secondary education (92% of total schools, 3 years beginning at age 11), and for the first two years of upper secondary school or vocational training centers (77% of total schools, 4 to 5 years beginning at age 14).
Public schools are provided by the central government or by local authorities. Public schools run by local entities are few, and in 2019, they accounted for 4% of total primary schools, 2% of secondary schools, and on average for 2% of total students enrolled in primary and secondary education.
In addition, there were 8 central schools in 2018, providing education at all education levels outside the Italian territory, as regulated by Legislative Decree 64/2017.
Non-state managed, state schools
No information was found.
Non-state funded, state schools
No information was found.
2.2 Non-state education provision
Independent, non-state schools
In 2019, private independent schools accounted for 8% of total schools and for 6% of total enrolled students in primary education. In lower secondary education, private schools accounted for 8% of total schools and for 4% of total enrolled students while in upper secondary education, they accounted for 23% of total schools and for 4% of total enrolled students.
Independent non-state schools are categorized into independent schools with parity , and without parity, as regulated by Law 62/2000 and by Law 27/2006, respectively. There were 43 independent schools with parity and two without parity in 2019, recognized by the state and providing education at all education levels outside the Italian territory, as regulated by Legislative Decree 64/2017.
Independent schools with parity are non-state educational institutions, including those established by local entities that have applied and obtained the parity to state schools. They are accredited and allowed to issue qualifications at all education levels (Art. 2), and they provide a public service (Art. 3). Within the fundamental freedoms established in the Constitution, independent schools with parity are free to implement their cultural orientation and pedagogical approach. Their orientation shall be specified in their educational offer plan, which is submitted to obtain the parity from the state (Law 62/2000, Art.1.3).
By contrast, independent schools without parity refer to non-state educational institutions that have not applied or obtained the parity to state schools, which is not mandatory. Law 27/2006 further specifies that independent schools without parity are accredited institutions that carry out an organized teaching activity without issuing national qualifications (Art.4-5). Independent schools without parity cannot use the same denomination of other state schools or independent schools with parity. Their name must mention their status of school without parity (Law 27/2006, Art. 5).
In addition to independent schools, Decree 389/1994 defines foreign schools as educational institutions, including language schools, boarding schools, cultural institutes, established by foreign citizens and/or entities from European Union (EU)’s member states and from non-EU states at all education levels on the Italian territory (Art.1-2). Religious schools also form part of the types of independent schools although information on their share could not be found.
State-funded (government-aided), non-state schools
No information was found.
No information was found.
2.3 Other types of schools
Parents and guardians in Italy can opt for home education, and in the academic year 2017/18, 4,169 compulsory school-aged students were educated at home. Parents or guardians who choose homeschooling must demonstrate to have the economic or the technical capacity to provide it and communicate it yearly to the authorities (Legislative Decree 297/1994, Art. 111). This does not correspond to an authorisation. Both principals at all education levels, including those of independent schools with parity, and mayors of cities where the learners have residency, are responsible for monitoring the fulfilment of the duty to education (Decree 489/2001, Art.2 ). In addition, students must undertake an annual school exam at a state or independent school with parity to be admitted to the next class until the completion of compulsory education (Legislative Decree 62/2017, Art. 23).
Students who cannot attend education due to health conditions for more than 30 days (even not consecutive) are also entitled to be educated at home by schoolteachers. Upon request of the family, the school is responsible for developing a personalised education plan, which has to be approved by the Regional school office.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, educational services were provided in distance mode in all schools at all education levels, as established by Decree 19/2020. Decree 22/2020 on emergency measures during the academic year, amended and converted into Law 41/2020, blended the responsibility for education provision between principals and teaching staff who were also required to ensure education provision through technological means.
Market contracted (Voucher schools)
No information was found.
Unregistered/Unrecognized schools
No information was found.
The Italian Constitution states that the education systems is a State system (Art. 33). The State has exclusive legislative power on general education provision (Art. 117.n), but it shares responsibilities with Regions for regulating the autonomy of educational institutions, except for vocational education and training, and for scientific and technological research (Art. 117).
The Regional school office, the branch of the Ministry of Education at the regional level, oversees the implementation of education policies at the regional level and the compliance with general education standards. It is responsible for the allocation of funds and human resources to educational institutions and for supervising independent schools with and without parity and foreign schools. It is in charge of verifying that independent schools that apply for parity meet the requirements established by Law 62/2000, Art. 1.4. It also supervises that independent schools without parity complies with the criteria established by Law 27/2006, Art. 1-bis.4.
As an autonomous body, the National Agency for the evaluation of universities and research institutes (ANVUR) oversees and assesses the quality of universities and research bodies. It is responsible for external evaluation of the quality of the activities of all universities receiving public funding, including the effectiveness and efficiency of its use.
Vision: Within the framework of the Recovery Plan for Europe: NextGenerationEU, the 2021 Recovery and Resilience Plan for Italy: NextgenerationItaly lays out the government’s strategic investment priorities until 2026. In the education sector, a closer cooperation with private actors is encouraged to enhance research and innovation. The 2020 Economic and Financial document reiterates the intent to cooperate with private actors to increase the education expenditure on research, education and training.
A closer partnership with non-state actors is encompassed in the 2021 National Strategy for digital competences. The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of University and Research, in collaboration with other key ministries, calls for a stronger involvement of the private sector for the digital skilling and upskilling of the workforce and for introducing technological innovation at school.
3.1 Regulations by distinct levels of education
In Italy, early childhood care and education (ECCE) includes educational services for childhood (3 years starting at age 0) and childhood school or pre-primary school (3 years starting at age 3). These services can be run by local entities, other public entities and private actors, while pre-primary school can be provided by state or independent school with parity, run by public (non-state) or private entities.
Educational services for childhood run by local entities and by actors accredited by local entities accounted for 13.5% of total enrolled children, while private non-accredited educational services are estimated to account for 10% of total enrolled children in 2017. In the academic year 2017/2018, there were 13 145 educational services, but with great geographical variations. In areas where local investments are low, private actors are also less present.
Private pre-primary school accounted for 33% of total pre-primary schools and for 28% of total enrolled children in 2019. Run by local entities, public non-state pre-primary schools accounted for 9% of total pre-primary schools and for 10% of total enrolled children in 2019.
Registration and approval: Legislative Decree 65/2017 delegates local entities to authorise, accredit, verify and sanction private actors for the establishment and management of educational services for childhood (Art.7), according to structural, organisational and qualitative standards defined by the Regions (Art.6). According to Art. 177 of the Italian Constitution, the definitions of standards is of regional competence.
The government’s Department for Family Policies together with the Innocenti Institute elaborated guidelines to provide coherent indications on environmental and functional quality of services. Overall, regions regulate the maximum capacity of institutions, the availability of minimum space per child, the child-educator ratio. For more information, see Multi-level regulations.
Licence: See Multi-level regulations.
Profit-making: No information was found.
Taxes and subsidies: The government’s multi-year action plan defines the resource allocation to Regions to, among others, finance educational services for childhood and decrease the expenses for families, and to promote continuous training for educators. For more information, see Multi-level regulations.
Quality of teaching and learning
Curriculum and education standards: See Multi-level regulations.
Teaching profession. Legislative Decree 65/2017 and Decree 378/2018 regulate the qualifications for educators providing educational services for childhood. They are required to hold a bachelor’s degree in the field of educational sciences, including minimum European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System in pedagogy, psychology, sociology and medicine concerning the age 0-3, and prove to have undertaken related training. Alternatively, they are required to hold a master’s degree in primary education sciences with a consecutive training. For more information, see Multi-level regulations.
Fee-setting: Legislative Decree 281/1997 defines the maximum fees for families for the contribution to non-state and private educational services for childhood that benefit from financial state contributions. For more information, see Multi-level regulations.
Admission selection and processes: Access to educational services for childhood is based on the age of the child. Children from 3-36 months have the right to access nursery schools (asili nido), operating in continuing with pre-primary schools. Children from 24-36 months have the right to access ‘spring section’ (sezioni primavera), set and managed by the state or independent schools with parity. Educational services also include integrative services, flexible and diversified services in terms of structure and organisation (Legislative Decree 65/2017, Art. 2.3).
Policies for vulnerable groups: Local entities can allocate financial support for low-income households and total fee exemptions for disadvantaged households (Legisaltive Decree 65/2018, Art.9). Law 232/2016 introduced a financial grant to cover expenses for public or private educational services for childhood (Art.1.355).
Quality assurance, monitoring and accountability
Reporting requirements: See Multi-level regulations.
Inspection: See Multi-level regulations.
Child assessment: See Multi-level regulations.
Sanctions: See Multi-level regulations.
Registration and approval: See Multi-level regulations.
Licence: See Multi-level regulations.
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH): Decree 29/75 defines technical norms for safety and hygiene standards in schools. Law 23/1996 on the standards for school building updates their conformity to the regulations on safety and hygiene.
Minimum standards refer to, among others, privacy standards for toilet cabins, minimum parameters on the toilet cabin air system and their dimensions, and toilets per pupil ratio (one per class). Additional parameters include the provision of hot water and washroom accessibility for people with disabilities.
As regulated by Law 62/2000, Art. 1.4.b and by Law 27/2006, Art. 1-bis.4.b independent schools with and without parity shall demonstrate that their premises, furniture, and teaching equipment comply with the in-force regulations on safety and hygiene standards for educational infrastructure, adequate to their functions and in relation to the number of enrolled students.
Profit-making: No information was found.
Taxes and subsidies: See Multi-level regulations.
Quality of teaching and learning
Curriculum and education standards: See Multi-level regulations.
Textbooks and learning materials: The choice of textbooks are approved by the teacher council of each school for the following academic year, while the principal supervises the respect of the selection processes. Decree 43/2012 and Decree 781/2013 defines ceiling costs for textbooks per type of school and education level, and clarifies minimum technical and pedagogical criteria for textbooks, learning materials, and new platforms, respectively. In the Note 2581/2014, the Ministry of Education clarifies that independent schools with parity can follow the same indications for the adoption of textbooks, as for state schools.
Teaching profession: See Multi-level regulations.
Corporal punishment: As stated by the ruling of Supreme Court of Cassation (4904/1996), corporal punishment is unlawful in alternative care, day care settings and early childhood care. In education, instruction, care, supervision or custody, anyone who abuses of means of correction or discipline is punished by law (Art. 571 Penal Code). The ruling of the Supreme Court of Cassation (18706/2020) clarified that corporal punishment for education purposes is always unlawful, regardless its extent.
Other safety measures and COVID-19: The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasised the need of psychological support in all schools. Drawing on the school autonomy in the educational approach and organisation, many schools already provide psychological services. However, the national legislative framework on the provision of this service at all education levels is still incomplete. In 2020, a Memorandum of Understanding with Trade Unions explicitly established the provision of psychological support in all state schools (Art.6).
Fee-setting: No information was found.
Admission selection and processes: See Multi-level regulations.
Policies for vulnerable groups: See Multi-level regulations.
Quality assurance, monitoring and accountability
School board: As regulated by Law 62/2000 (Art. 1.4.c), independent schools with parity are required to establish collegiate bodies that ensure democratic participation. Decree 297/1994 and its amendments regulates the collegiate bodies of schools at all education levels. They consist of a school council, a teacher council, a class council, and a parents’ assembly. The school council represents all school actors, including non-teaching staff and students at the secondary education level. It has a leading role over financial and managerial aspects (Art.8). The teacher council represents permanent and temporary teachers of the school and is led by the principal (Art.7). The class council represents teachers, representatives of parents and, in some cases, students and has the main role of facilitating relationships and discussing matters related to the class learning pathway (Art.5). In addition, parents can exercise their right to democratic participation in the educational activities by organizing separate meetings at the class and school level (Art.15). At the district level, the district school council represents, among others, school leaders, teaching and non-teaching staff, representatives of students at the secondary education level and representatives of parents from state, independent schools with and without parity, ensuring at least one seat to those from non-state schools (Art.18).
Reporting requirements: See Multi-level regulations.
School inspection: See Multi-level regulations.
Student assessment: In state and independent schools with parity, student’s learning and behavioral development is assessed in relation to the objectives of the three-year educational plan (Piano triennale dell’offerta formativa - PTOF).
Students who completed state and independent schools with parity can take national exams as internal candidates (Legislative Decree 62/2017, Art.13). By contrast, students who completed independent schools without parity and foreign schools can take national exams as external candidates (Art. 14).
Diplomas and degrees: Independent schools with parity are entitled to issue nationally recognised qualifications as state schools (Law 62/2000, Art.1.2). By contrast, independent schools without parity cannot issue final or partial qualifications that are nationally recognised (Law 27/2006, Art. 1.5). Foreign schools cannot issue nationally recognised qualifications (Decree 389/1994, Art. 1.3).
Sanctions: See Multi-level regulations.
In Italy, tertiary education institutions include Universities and polytechnic institutes, High level Arts and Music Education institutions (Afam), Higher schools for language mediators (SSML) and Higher technical institutes (ITS). This section focuses on non-state universities, covering tertiary education (3 to 6 years starting with a diploma of secondary education).
In Italy, there are 19 non state recognised universities and 11 non state telematic universities, out of 97 recognised universities (31%). Enrollments in non-state universities accounted for 10.32% of total higher education enrollments in all types of courses in 2017.
Registration and approval: The accreditation procedures for the establishment of new non-state university institutions is clarified by Decree 989/2015 and Decree 987/2016.
As regulated by Legislative Decree 19/2012 (Art.7), university branches are initially and periodically accredited according to the criteria defined by the National Agency for the evaluation of universities and research institutes (ANVUR). The indicators have to be coherent with the standards defined by the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education.
To be accredited, new institutions submit a request to the Ministry of University and Research. ANVUR verifies the respect for the defined criteria and commitments. The verification consists in the examination of the submitted documentation and can also include onsite inspection of the institution. Upon ANVUR’s assent, the Ministry confirms or denies the accreditation.
As defined by Decree 989/2019 (Art.6.c.3), new non-state universities are required to meet the following criteria:
- proven multiannual research activity of the providers.
- education provision covering bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes, excluding courses belonging to study categories already operating within 200km.
- proven full financial, logistical, scientific sustainability of the education and development plan of the university branch.
New non-state universities should also contribute to increasing the quality of the university system. In these regards, Decree 147/2020 clarifies that new universities shall demonstrate:
- minimum necessary teaching provided by permanent professors and university researchers.
- number of enrolments at the first year in order to meet minimum necessary teaching and to meet the estimates of the financial plan.
- financial plan that covers seven years of activity and that proves the full financial, logistical, and scientific sustainability of all activities independently from any state financial contributions.
Licence: Decree 147/2020 clarifies that the request of accreditation occurs online, attaching the required documentation and the opinion of the regional committee for the university coordination and, in case of university studies in the health sector, of the opinion of the Region.
Profit-making: No information was found.
Taxes and subsidies: As defined by Law 243/1991, legally recognised non-state universities can obtain financial contributions by the state, if they have been accredited to issue national qualifications. The amount is equivalent to less than 20% of the total expenses fixed by Law 243/1991, with progressive increases of in-between 2 and 4% established on an annual basis.
As clarified by Decree 989/2019, non-state universities can apply for a financial state contribution, only if the evaluation of their five-year periodical accreditation is considered at least satisfactory. Non-state universities can apply for the contribution for the realisation of specific objectives, as defined in the state three-year plan.
Quality of teaching and learning
Curriculum and education standards: University’s education standards have to align with the Standards and Guidelines on Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG).
As state universities, Decree 989/2019 clarifies that non-state universities adopt a three-year programme in line with the guidelines and the strategic objectives defined by the Ministry of Education and evaluated by ANVUR according to criteria of quality, transparency and of promotion of merit.
However, in respect for the autonomy ensured to higher education institutions and universities by the Italian Constitution (Art. 33), the evaluation and monitoring of the programmes occur a posteriori.
Teaching profession: Decree 47/2013 introduced minimum number of teaching staff in relation to the programmes and the scientific sector to be applied progressively. For non-state universities, they vary from six minimum teaching staff in master’s degree programmes, of which at least three are professors, to eighteen in six-year university programme, of which at least ten are professors. They are consistently lower number than the minimum number of teaching staff in state university. However, if minimum quality teaching standards are not met after ANVUR inspections, they can be required to be increased (attachment A).
Decree 147/2020 clarifies that the regulations on the teaching staff recruitment for state universities also applied to non-state universities.
As regulated by Law 240/2010, universities can recruit professors through a public call and in line with the European Charter for researchers (Art.18). Universities can recruit external experts for teaching purposes for one academic year and extendable up to five years. They are selected based on their qualifications and on their scientific or professional curriculum (Art.23). Universities can also launch public calls to recruit researchers a short-term contract of a duration of three years. Researchers can be engaged in research, teaching, integrative teaching activities and for other educational services (Art.24).
Fee-setting: University fees are tax deductible. Decree 993/2016 states the maximum expenses for non-state universities fees that are deductible from income tax return to ensure the right to education. They are categorised by the field of study and by geographical location.
Admission selection and processes: Law 264/1999 regulates the admission to some university programmes, for example degrees in medicine and surgery and in primary education, through competitive admission tests. Drawing on their autonomy, each university can decide to introduce an admission test and admit only a limited number of students for internal and/or structural reasons.
In line with the principle of equality and the right to education stated in the Constitution, Legislative decree 68/2012 establishes that non state universities have to allocate a percentage of the state contribution, from which they benefit, to the total fee exemption for students who meet scholarship requirements and for students with disabilities. Additional fee exemptions can be established autonomously by the university (Art. 9).
Quality assurance, monitoring and accountability
Board: Law 240/2010 defines the management bodies of the state university system. However, the provisions are not extended to non-state universities. As autonomous bodies, as stated by Art. 33 of the Italian Constitution, they can decide upon their management bodies.
Reporting requirements: As regulated by Legislative Decree 19/2012, Art. 13, each university institution carries out internal evaluation and self-assessment, according to criteria, methodologies and indicators defined by ANVUR. Ad-hoc commissions – that in state universities take the name of Joint teacher-student commissions (Commissioni Paritetiche Docenti-Studenti) - monitor on their implementation and on the quality of the academic activities and other educational services (Decree 47/2013, Art. 4).
Inspection: Since 2013, it has been implemented a system of self-assessment, periodical evaluation, accreditation (AVA system).
ANVUR is responsible for periodical accreditation of universities, including non-state universities. Periodical accreditation is carried out by a Commission of Experts for Evaluation (CEV). As defined by Art. 6 of the Decree 989/2019 and as clarified by Decree 147/2020 on non-state universities, the evaluation of non-state activities occurs every year, while the evaluation of the completion of the education plan occurs every five years as part of the periodical accreditation.
It consists in the verification through documentation and onsite visits on the respect for the criteria defined for the initial accreditation. They include the evaluation of quality, efficiency, and effectiveness criteria, as defined by Decree 6/2019. ANVUR evaluation includes the examination of the monitoring reports on the quality teaching and research activities and of annual evaluations produced by the university.
The initial and periodical assessment by ANVUR also verifies that the provider has established a solid and coherent quality assurance mechanism (AQ) of the academic and research activity. This has to ensure the coherence between the strategic vision and the objectives of the university institution. ANVUR draws up reports indicating the areas that need to be improved and using a scoring system from non-satisfactory to very good.
Student assessment: Each university defines in its regulations defining, among others, the amount of credit to each teaching activity and exam modality. As part of the Bologna Process, Decree 509/1999 introduces a system of credit accumulation, also known as European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), obtained upon the positive result of an exam and/or assessment of a teaching activity. It further clarifies that the evaluation of student assessments is expressed in 30/30 for each teaching activity and in 100/100 cum laude for the final exam (Art.11).
Diplomas and degrees: Non-state universities that are accredited according to Legislative Decree 19/2012 can issue national qualifications, as state universities.
Sanctions: The negative result of the periodical accreditation, which evaluates the completion of the education plan implies the deactivation and the suppression of the legally accredited non-state university (Decree 147/2020).
In case of suppression, the completion of the study course is guaranteed; technical and administrative staff and research and teaching staff are ensured to continue working, also in other universities (Law 25/1998, Art. 2.5).
3.2 Multi-level regulations
In Italy, independent non-state schools providing pre-primary, primary and secondary education are regulated by Law n.62 on regulations on school parity and on provisions on the right to study and education (2000) and by Law n. 27 amending and converting Decree n. 250, 5 December 2005, on urgent measures regarding universities, cultural heritage (2006). Foreign non-state schools at all education levels are regulated by Decree n. 389 on regulations simplifying the procedures for authorization of foreign schools and cultural institutions in Italy.
Registration and approval: As regulated by Law 62/2000 (Art.1.4), independent schools can obtain the recognition of parity to state schools upon their request, if they ensure and can prove:
- education provision aligned with the principles of the Constitution and a three-year educational plan (Piano triennale dell’offerta formativa - PTOF) compliant with current regulations. The certification of the management title and of the publicity of financial statements.
- the availability of premises, furniture and teaching equipment functional for the type of school and compliant with current regulations.
- collegiate bodies that ensure democratic participation.
- school enrolment for all students, upon request of parents, provided that they hold a valid qualification.
- the implementation of current regulations on inclusion.
- the organization of complete courses covering all grades of an educational level.
- qualified teaching staff.
- contracts for management and teaching staff compliant with the collective national labour contract.
In their application to parity, independent schools submit their request and documentation providing proof of the respect for the above requirements to the relevant Regional school office, which can accept or refuse the application.
As regulated by Law 27/2006 (Art. 1-bis 4), independent schools that do not intend to apply to parity and/or have not obtained parity to state schools shall demonstrate to ensure:
- an educational provision compliant with the principles of the Constitution and with the education system, aimed to general and specific learning outcomes for each qualification.
- the availability of premises, furniture and equipment compliant with regulations on hygiene and safety, functional for the type of school and for the number of pupils.
- qualified teaching staff and a coordinator for the teaching and educational activities, and adequate administrative and technical staff.
- pupils’ age is not lower than the allowed age in state schools or independent schools with parity to obtain the same qualification.
In case of pre-primary schools, they are not required to demonstrate the link between the educational activity and qualification (Decree 263/2007, Art. 1.4).
Foreign citizens and/or entities from EU member states and from non-EU states at all education levels on the Italian territory must notify the start of their activity to the Ministry of Education, providing the respect for all legal conditions (Decree 389/1994, Art.1.1-2). The request shall indicate the level of education and the grades covered by the educational institution and its location (Art.2.1). The authorisation is released upon consultation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Art. 3.1).
Licence: Decree 267/2007 regulates the administrative processes for the recognition of parity. The request of recognition of parity shall be submitted by March 31 of each year, and shall indicate the legal status of the provider, the commitment to fulfil the requirements established by Law 62/2000 (Art. 1.4). The Regional school office issues or denies the recognition of parity by June 30 (Decree 267/2007, Art.1-2).
In case the requirements to obtain the parity are met, the Regional school office issues the recognition of the parity, which is valid for the following academic year. If new courses are established, except in pre-primary education, their recognition occurs at the completion of the study course (Law 27/2006, Art. 1-bis).
The recognition of parity agreement has a maximum duration of nine years and can be terminated in advance in case of withdraw of parity or after a motivated request by the provider (Decree 23/2008, Art.6).
The Regional school office keeps a public register of the independent schools without parity operating on the regional territory (Law 27/2006, Art. 1-bis.5). The Regional school office verifies the documentation and communicates the result to the school by June 30. On June 30 of every year, the public register is updated and published (Decree 263/2007, Art. 1.5-8).
In case of foreign schools, the administration verifies within 60 days of the notification of the start of activity that education institutions meet the requirements set by Decree 389/1994. If they are not met, activities cannot continue (Art.1.2).
Taxes and subsidies: Financial contributions to independent schools with parity is defined on an annual basis. Priority is given to non-profit educational institutions that are not run by for-profit companies. Priority is assigned in this order: to pre-primary, primary, lower secondary and upper secondary schools (Law 696/2006, Art. 1.636). Independent schools with parity that are run by non-profit actors benefit from a different fiscal treatment (Law 62/2000, Art.1.8).
Independent primary schools that have obtained the parity to state schools receive an annual financial contribution, if they can demonstrate to meet the conditions established by the agreement of recognition of parity and according to minimum criteria, including the number of classes with minimum ten pupils, teaching classes for learners with disabilities according to the individualised education plan, and amount of hours of supportive teaching for learners with learning difficulties (Decree 23/2008, Art.4.1). In case of irregularities, the Regional school office can suspend the financial contributions (Art.6). See Policy for vulnerable groups.
Quality of teaching and learning
Curriculum and education standards: Independent schools with parity follow the same curriculum of state schools, as defined by Decree 254/2012.
As regulated by Law 62/2000 (Art. 1.4.a), independent schools with parity have to draw up a three-year educational plan as state schools (Piano triennale dell’offerta formativa - PTOF). PTOF is a fundamental document representing the cultural and planning identity of the educational institution, and the outcome of all educational stakeholders. To facilitate the educational choice, PTOF are published (Law 107/2015).
Independent schools with parity can choose their cultural orientation and educational/teaching approach. Providing a public service, independent schools with parity shall accept everyone, including learners with disabilities. Students who request to enroll accept in turn the school’s education provision, which can have a special cultural or religious orientation. Extra-curricular activities concerning special ideologies or religious orientation are not compulsory (Law 62/2000, Art.1.3).
Independent schools without parity do not have to follow the same curriculum of state schools. However, their education provision has to comply with the principles of the Constitution and with the education system, aimed to general and specific learning outcomes for each qualification (Law 27/2006, Art. 1-bis.4).
Teaching profession: As regulated by Law 62/2000 (Art. 1.4.g) and by Law 27/2006 (Art. 1-bis.4.c), independent schools with parity and without parity are required to ensure the recruitment of qualified teaching staff, respectively.
To be considered as qualified, teachers in pre-primary, primary and secondary schools are required to hold a master’s degree (ISCED 7). Pre-primary and primary teachers are required to complete a five-year programme in education sciences, including qualifying traineeship activities (Decree 249/2010). Secondary teachers are also required to have competencies in anthropology, psychology and pedagogy, and in teaching methods and technologies. They have to pass a national open competition exam to obtain the official qualification and be accredited by the state (Legislative Decree 59/2017).
Independent schools with parity are required to communicate detailed information concerning teaching staff by September 30 of each year to the Regional school office (Decree 108/2020, Art. 1.a).
However, shortcomings in the availability of qualified teaching staff represents a challenge for independent schools. The Ministry of Education clarified that providers of independent schools with parity can exceptionally recruit teachers with the academic decree but without the full qualification to teach on a short-term contract to ensure the continuity of the education provision, upon communication to the Regional school office.
The working conditions, including compensations and benefits and dismissal, of teachers operating in private educational institutions at all levels are defined by National Collective Agreements between the most representative Trade Unions and the relevant employees’ associations.
Admission selection and processes: Schools are open to everyone. This is fulfilled through scholarships, allowances to families and other benefits, assigned on a competitive basis (Italian Constitution, Art. 34). People with disabilities are entitled to receive education and vocational training (Art. 38). The state is responsible for removing the economic and/or social obstacles to the full fulfillment of the principle of equality and to the full development of individuals (Art.3).
Compulsory school-aged pupils who attend a primary independent school without parity or a primary foreign school are required to take an eligibility exam in order to be admitted to the next educational level in a state or independent school with parity. They can also opt for taking the final national exams as external candidates (Legislative Decree 62/2017, Art.10).
Policies for vulnerable groups: To fulfill the right to education for all learners attending both state schools and independent schools with parity, the state commits to providing special financial contributions to Regions and Autonomous Provinces to financially support students from disadvantaged households through scholarships (Law 62/2000, Art.1.9-11), in addition to regional funds.
As mentioned under the section Taxes and subsidies, the annual financial contribution that independent primary schools with parity can receive is based on several minimum criteria, including teaching classes for learners with disabilities according to the individualised education plan, and amount of hours of supportive teaching for learners with learning difficulties (Decree 23/2008, Art.4.1). Independent schools with parity at all education levels providing education to learners with disabilities receive an annual financial contribution for each learner (Law 104/1992).
Quality assurance, monitoring and accountability
Reporting requirements: To renovate the recognition of parity, independent schools with parity are required to communicate by September 30 of each year to the Regional school office the number of classes and of enrolled students, the composition of collegiate bodies and their adoption of the educational plan, information about the coordinator and the teaching staff. If not respected, Regional school office invites the school to comply with the regulations within 30 days (Decree 267/2007, Art. 3).
To renovate their registration into the regional public register, independent schools without parity are required to communicate and confirm they meet the established requirements by March 31 of every three year to the Regional school office. If not respected, Regional school office invites the school to comply with the regulations within 30 days (Decree 263/2007, 3.1).
Inspection: Independent schools with parity are object of national inspection according to the same standards defined for state schools (Law 62/2000, Art.1.5). The Ministry of Education is responsible for verifying that independent schools with parity meet and keep meeting the requirements necessary to obtain the parity (Law 62/2000, Art.1.6).
In 2015, the Ministry of Education launched an extraordinary plan to verify that independent schools with parity, with priority to secondary schools, met the requirements to obtain the recognition of parity, in particular the compliance of the three-year educational plan, the regularity of the budget and the publicity of financial statements and the compliance with national labour contracts (Law 107/2015, Art. 1.152).
By November 30 following the submission, adequate inspection is carried out to verify that independent schools without parity accomplish with the requirements required to be on the public register (Decree 263/2007, Art. 1.5-8). The Regional school office can remove an independent school from the register if the conditions are not respected.
The Ministry of Education is responsible for periodical inspection on the functionality and transparency of and completion of processes implemented by foreign schools (Decree 389/1994, Art.5).
Additional inspections are carried out on the organization and management of national exams, eligibility and complementary exams in all schools (Legislative Decree 62/2017, Art.12).
Sanctions: After 30 days, independent schools with parity that fail to reply to the Regional school office commit an irregularity (Art.3). The recognition of parity for independent schools can be withdrawn in case of voluntary termination of the agreement, confirmed irregularities in their activities, confirmed violations of Law 27/2006, Art. 1-bis), failure to complete a course and failure to activate a class for two-consecutive academic years (Decree 267/2007, Art. 4).
After 30 days, independent schools without parity that fail to reply to the Regional school office commit an irregularity. The Regional school office proceed with their removal from the public register. The removal from the public register also occurs in case one or more requirements established by Law 27/2006 are not met (Decree 263/2007, Art. 3).
The Ministry of Education can issue an order to close foreign schools that are not considered suitable for pursuing their educational services, upon inspection on the respect for the established regulations. In case of urgency, the Prefect can issue an immediate order to temporary close the educational institution and inform the Ministry of Education. The latter decides on their suppression or definitive closure within 30 days (Decree 389/1994, Art.4).
3.3 Supplementary private tutoring
Information on private tutoring or shadow education is scarce. A case-study on Italy indicated a substantial growth in private tutoring, in particular at the secondary education level, and estimates that it accounts for no less than 40% increase in the recent years (Campani, 2013).
No information was found.
Financial operation and quality
No information was found.
No information was found.
