Sergio Mattarella opens school year in Amatrice and calls for classroom integration

Inauguration in Amatrice

Italian President Sergio Mattarella opened the 26th national school year ceremony, Tutti a Scuola, at the Sergio Marchionne comprehensive institute in Amatrice. The new educational complex in the hamlet of San Cipriano replaced the Romolo Capranica institute, which was destroyed during the earthquake of 24 August 2016 that killed 299 people. Prior to the ceremony, the head of state paid homage to the victims at Parco Don Minozzi, marking his fifth official visit to the municipality since the disaster. Education and Merit Minister Giuseppe Valditara, Lazio Regional President Francesco Rocca, and Amatrice Mayor Giorgio Cortellesi attended the gathering alongside student delegations from across Italy.

Constitutional mandate on integration

Addressing the assembly, Mattarella invoked Article 34 of the Italian Constitution, declaring that education must remain universally accessible. He described schools as the primary instrument for integrating pupils arriving from abroad and Italian-born children of immigrants. The speech addressed ongoing policy discussions in Rome concerning proposed executive decrees that would establish a 30% cap on foreign students in individual classrooms. Mattarella argued that educational institutions are responsible for generating social cohesion rather than division.

The school is the most effective lever of integration for those who come from other countries and for young people born in Italy who are the children of emigrants. The school prepares everyone; it is open to all: so provides Article 34 of the Constitution. It must establish bonds, win the trust of families, help not to form ghettos, not to raise barriers, to make our communities safer, to unite and not to tear apart, overcoming the walls of distrust and lack of communication. The school is called to produce social cohesion.

Violence in schools and the role of families

The head of state also confronted recent physical assaults against teaching staff, including an incident in Centocelle, Rome, where a teacher was stabbed. Mattarella asserted that society must not abandon educators, placing particular blame on parents who turn against teachers and disrupt the educational alliance. His speech extended beyond physical assaults to encompass bullying, discrimination against vulnerable students, and gender-based oppression. He rejected any claims of supremacy or possession directed against female students, calling for schools to cultivate shared civic ethics.

Violence manifests itself in many forms. Explicit bullying, groups and gangs that consolidate outside classrooms. Violence against teachers: the latest serious episode a few days ago adds to those that have already occurred, not forgotten. Sometimes by kids, more frequently by parents, who are far more guilty in this betrayal of their educational task, withdrawing from the fundamental alliance with teachers.

Interactive safety tools and student exchanges

During the proceedings, the State Police unveiled an interactive multimedia totem designed for schools, initiated by Chief of Police Vittorio Pisani in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Merit and the Rete Fondazioni ITS Italia. Domenico Cerbone, director of the police communications office, explained that the touchscreen terminal uses avatars and gamification to instruct pupils on road safety, cyberbullying, digital citizenship, and the prevention of gender violence. The event featured creative exchanges, including mosaic artworks comparing Amatrice to Gibellina by students from Monreale, ceramics from Naples, and a musical performance of the song Uragani by the singer Clara.