Peter Calamandrei in defense of public school 11 February 1950
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"Let's say, so abstract, that there is a party in power, a dominant party, but wants to formally respect the Constitution, does not want to infringe on the substance. Not to make the march on Rome and turn the classroom into housing for handpieces, but wants to establish, without opinion, a larvata dictatorship. So, what do to seize the schools and to transform schools into state schools party?
We realize that schools have the state failing to be impartial. There is some resistance in those schools there is always, even under fascism, there was. Then, the dominant party follows another road (it's all theoretical hypothesis, intendiamoci).
She began to neglect the public schools, to discredit, for uranium. Let it anemizzino and begins to encourage private schools. Not all private schools. The schools of his party, that party.
And then all the treatments begin to go to these private schools. Cure of money and privileges. It even begins to advise children to go to these schools, because basically they say are better than those of the state. And perhaps give prizes, as now I will tell you, or proposes to give prizes to those citizens who are willing to send their children to schools instead of public to private schools. A "those" private schools. The tests are easier, you study and you can not better. So the school becomes a privileged school.
The dominant party can not transform schools openly state party schools, send ruin in state schools to give primacy to its private schools. Attention, friends, in this conference this is the point that we need to discuss. Attention, this is the recipe. We must keep an eye on this low chefs cooking.
The operation is done in three ways: I ve already said, ruining the schools in the state. Let go to ruin. Impoverish their budgets. Ignore their needs. Mitigate the supervision and control over private schools. Do not check its seriousness. Let you teach teachers who do not have the minimum qualifications for teaching. Let the exams are burlette.
Giving money to private schools public. This is the point. Giving money to private schools public "
Piero Calamandrei - speech at the Third Congress of National Defense in Rome on 11 February 1950
Speech absolutely current, even for the ns. time!
26 October 2008 at 2:53 pmUnfortunately!
Could be used as a manifesto supporting the movement of students, teachers and school staff who are fighting against the assaults of this antipolitica for the future of all while restoring luster to the sound principles that have supported the Resistance!