14 — Activities & News
An editorial record of what the Minister of Education and Merit has done since October 2022 — laws signed, schools opened, agreements concluded — each entry dated, placed and sourced.
Lead story · 21 September 2026 · Amatrice
"Tutti a scuola", the national ceremony that opens the Italian school year, was held at the Istituto "S. Marchionne" in Amatrice in the presence of President Sergio Mattarella — ten years after the earthquake of 2016 devastated the town.[42][43]
The choice of place carried its own message. Amatrice became in 2016 a byword for destruction; a decade later, holding the national inauguration of the school year there made reconstruction and continuity the frame of the day. It was the fourth "Tutti a scuola" of Valditara's ministry, after Forlì in 2023, Cagliari in 2024 and Naples in 2025.[10][24][29]
Valditara's address linked two words often set against each other in the Italian school debate: merit and inclusion. "La scuola del merito significa anche scuola dell'inclusione, nessuno deve essere escluso" — the school of merit also means the school of inclusion; no one must be left out (translation). He asked that the year be dedicated to respect, "degli altri e di sè".[43]
Press coverage of the address highlighted a third theme: the integration of foreign pupils, with particular attention to the Italian language.[43] Three days later, the Council of Ministers approved a decree-law that sets, from 2027/28, a 30% ceiling on pupils with insufficient Italian in first-year classes — a measure still awaiting parliamentary conversion.[44][45]
The year that opened in Amatrice is also the first in which several reforms reach classrooms at once: new national curriculum guidelines in pre-school and the first classes of primary and lower secondary school, new timetables in the first classes of technical institutes, and the "4+2" pathway as an ordinary option.[34][35] The full texts of the minister's statements are collected under Speeches & Statements; the policies behind them are explained in School Reform and Inclusion & Wellbeing.
The archive at a glance
Counts refer to the entries of this archive, not to all of the minister's activity. An entry may belong to more than one category.
11
entries on laws, decree-laws and parliamentary steps
12
international engagements — G7, EU, UNESCO, bilateral
6
entries on teachers, ATA staff and school heads
4
ceremonies, including four national school-year openings
Archive
Newest first. Each entry gives the date, the place where it is verified, a short context and a link to the policy area it belongs to. Filter by category below.
2 Oct 2026
The ministry announced more than €120 million in pay increases and arrears for around 40,000 ATA staff — the administrative, technical and auxiliary personnel who keep schools running. The announcement fell on the same day as a national school strike, a reminder that pay and conditions remain contested ground in Italian education.[46]
24 & 30 Sep 2026
On Valditara's proposal the Council of Ministers approved a decree-law on the start of the 2026/27 year and PNRR education measures; it was published on 30 September and entered into force the next day. Among other provisions, it renames technical and vocational institutes licei tecnologici and licei professionali, sets from 2027/28 a 30% ceiling on pupils without sufficient Italian in first-year classes, and bans face coverings at school. Parliament must convert it into law within sixty days.[44][45]
Decree-law · conversion pending
8 Sep 2026
The OECD released the results of PISA 2025, covering 91 education systems. Italy scored 474 in reading — significantly above the OECD average of 461 for the first time — 468 in mathematics and 483 in science, broadly stable while the OECD average fell sharply. The minister commented that Italy was becoming an international point of reference; the full statement is on the Speeches page.[40][41]
Sep 2026
In early September Valditara travelled to Argentina, meeting President Javier Milei and minister Sandra Pettovello. The Italian "4+2" model of technical and vocational education was among the subjects discussed — a sign that the reform also features in the international agenda of the ministry.[39]
6 Aug 2026
The national contract for school heads (dirigenti scolastici) for 2022–24 received its final signature, with an increase of around 6%. Negotiations for the 2025–27 round are already under way.[38]
14 Jul 2026
The national advisory council for education (CSPI) gave its opinion on the draft Indicazioni nazionali for licei, prepared by a commission chaired by Loredana Perla — 22 votes in favour, 12 against. The text remains a proposal; application is expected from 2027/28.[37]
Proposal / announced
Jul 2026
At the High-Level Steering Committee on Sustainable Development Goal 4, Italian provincial student councils took part as observers for the first time.[36]
19 Feb 2026
Decree no. 29 set new curricula and timetables for technical institutes, phased in from the first classes of 2026/27 over five years, as part of a PNRR reform commitment. Trade unions and the Piedmont regional council asked for a delay.[35]
In implementation
27 Jan 2026
The regulation on national curriculum guidelines for pre-school and the first cycle (DM 221/2025) was published, replacing the 2012 framework. It strengthens the place of Italian and Western history, grammar, memorisation and handwriting, and is phased in from 2026/27.[34]
In implementation
12 Jan 2026
The Council of Ministers appointed commissioners to adopt school-network plans in Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Umbria and Sardinia, where regional authorities disputed the national rules on the number of autonomous school institutions (dimensionamento) introduced by the 2023 budget law.[33]
Jan 2026
Valditara began a two-year term on the committee that steers the global education goal, representing Western Europe and North America together with Finland.[32]
23 Dec 2025
The final signature of the national collective agreement for education and research brought increases of around €150 a month for teachers and €110 for ATA staff, plus arrears. The FLC CGIL union did not sign.[31]
27 Oct 2025
On the margins of the G20 education meeting, Italy and South Africa signed two memoranda on cooperation in education and technical training.[30]
22 Sep 2025
The national ceremony opening the 2025/26 school year was held in Naples in the presence of President Sergio Mattarella.[29]
9 Sep 2025
The decree-law restored the name esame di maturità, redesigned the oral examination and the commission, renamed school-work pathways formazione scuola-lavoro and made the "4+2" model permanent. It was converted by Law 164 of 30 October 2025 and first applied in the 2026 examinations.[28]
Enacted law
9 Aug 2025
The ministry adopted guidelines covering students, teachers and school organisation, treating schools as "deployers" under the EU AI Act and adding an AI section to the Unica platform from 2025/26.[27]
In implementation
16 Jun 2025
Circular 3392 extended the ban on phones during school hours to upper secondary schools, state and paritarie, from 2025/26, with exceptions for pupils whose individual plans require a device.[21]
In implementation
3 Dec 2024
Italy and Algeria signed two cooperation agreements, on education and on vocational training — part of a wider engagement with North and sub-Saharan Africa in the education field.[26]
1 Oct 2024
The law makes the conduct grade weigh on the whole year, returns lower secondary schools to a conduct mark in tenths and primary schools to synthetic judgements, and introduces a payment to the school by those convicted of crimes against its staff.[25]
Enacted law
16 Sep 2024
The opening ceremony of the 2024/25 school year. In his address the minister returned to the continuity of support teachers for pupils with disabilities — a theme addressed by the decree-law of May 2024 (D.L. 71/2024), which lets families ask to keep the same support teacher.[24]
8 Sep 2024
Valditara announced a two-year trial in 15 classes in Lombardy, Lazio, Tuscany and Calabria using an AI assistant for STEM subjects and foreign languages, to be evaluated by INVALSI.[23]
Pilot / experimental
8 Aug 2024
Four-year experimental courses in technical and vocational institutes, linked to two years of higher technical training, were given a statutory basis. The ministry's release described it as an important day for young people and the productive system.[14][22]
Enacted law
11 Jul 2024
Note 5274 extended the earlier restriction to cover all use during school hours, including for teaching, in primary and lower secondary schools from 2024/25. The rule was widened a year later.[21]
In implementation
27 May 2024
A €220 million plan for ten regions of the Centre-North, including €165.7 million for 2,919 primary schools and €34.3 million for 245 schools identified through INVALSI data — the northern counterpart of Agenda Sud.[19]
In implementation
17 May 2024
Extending the 2017 cyberbullying law, it requires an internal anti-bullying code in every school, strengthens the 114 helpline and establishes a "Giornata del rispetto" on 20 January.[18]
Enacted law
May 2024
The minister spoke at the opening of the 36th edition of Turin's international book fair. The occasion connects with a constant of his ministry — the insistence on reading, the written word and the humanities as foundations of schooling.
15 Mar 2024
Violence against school staff becomes an aggravating circumstance, with heavier penalties where parents or guardians are responsible; a national observatory and a national day on 15 December are established.[17]
Enacted law
Mar 2024
A memorandum on education cooperation signed with Egypt's education minister, with a follow-up in February 2025.[16]
28 Feb 2024
The minister's book, published by Piemme, argues against what it calls the "myth of competences" and places talents, merit, respect and responsibility at the centre of schooling.[15]
31 Jan 2024
Senate approval of the bill on the technical-professional pathway, which became law in August.[14]
18 Jan 2024
Final signature at ARAN of the national collective agreement for the education and research sector for 2019–21.[13]
12 Dec 2023
A memorandum on education cooperation, an early step in the ministry's African partnerships.[12]
22 Nov 2023
With ministers Eugenia Roccella and Gennaro Sangiuliano, Valditara presented voluntary 30-hour modules for upper secondary students on relationships, respect and gender violence, with €15 million of EU funds. The press later reported limited take-up.[11]
Proposal / announced
18 Sep 2023
The opening of the 2023/24 school year with President Mattarella, the first national school-year opening of his ministry held with the head of state.[10]
1 Sep 2023
About €265.5 million from PNRR and cohesion funds for more than 2,000 schools in eight southern regions, with extra support for 245 low-performing schools. Two weeks later the government's "Decreto Caivano" (D.L. 123/2023) added staffing provisions for the programme.[9]
In implementation
May 2023
Meeting with Japan's minister Keiko Nagaoka; cooperation on higher technical education (ITS) and the study of Italian in Japan were discussed.[8]
May 2023
At the EU Education Council, ministers approved a resolution on completing the European Education Area.[7]
Feb 2023
A ministry note made the Avvocatura dello Stato available to defend teachers and ATA staff who are victims of assault — the first of a series of measures on staff protection.[6]
In implementation
22 Dec 2022
At least 30 hours a year of orientation modules, an E-Portfolio, the student's "capolavoro" and the new figures of tutor and guidance teacher — a PNRR reform implemented from 2023/24.[5]
In implementation
Nov 2022
His first Council meeting, at which the recommendation "Pathways to School Success" was adopted.[4]
11 Nov 2022
Decree-law 173 renamed the Ministry of Education the Ministry of Education and Merit; it was converted by Law 204 of 16 December 2022.[2]
Enacted law
22 Oct 2022
Giuseppe Valditara took the oath as Minister of Education and Merit in the Meloni government.[1]
Reading the archive
Read in sequence, the archive shows a ministry that has worked through several instruments at once. Statutes carry the most visible reforms — the renaming of the ministry, the protection of school staff, bullying, conduct, the "4+2" pathway and the Maturità. Ministerial decrees and circulars carry much of the rest: orientation, the smartphone ban, the AI guidelines, the technical-institute curricula and the new Indicazioni nazionali. The legislative route gives durability; the administrative route gives speed, and the balance between the two is a recurrent theme of Italian education policy.
A second pattern is the calendar itself. The opening of each school year in September concentrates announcements and decree-laws, and the national "Tutti a scuola" ceremony — held in Forlì, Cagliari, Naples and Amatrice — has become the moment at which the minister sets the tone for the year ahead, a function examined more closely on the Speeches page.
Third, the international entries are no longer occasional. After the G7 presidency in 2024 the ministry built a series of bilateral agreements, mainly with African countries, joined the UNESCO steering committee for SDG4 and, in 2026, presented the "4+2" model in Argentina. The detail is on Europe & International.
Finally, the archive records conflict as well as decisions: unions asking for delays to the technical-institute reform, regions disputing the school-network rules, a union declining to sign the 2022–24 contract, a national strike in October 2026. These are part of the public record and are included for that reason.
Entries are drawn only from official sources (ministry, government, Gazzetta Ufficiale, Normattiva, Parliament) and from established news agencies and specialist education press. Locations are given only where a source confirms them. Status chips follow the site's classification: enacted law, ministerial measure in implementation, pilot, or proposal / decree-law pending conversion.
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