The “school voucher” has been included in the new budget law, aimed at families with ISEE within 30 thousand euros. The bonus concerns students who attend a private school (middle school or the first two years of high school). Therefore, among the money allocated for schools, a specific measure is foreseen in favor of private schools.

In short, it means that those with an income under 30 thousand euros will benefit if they enroll their child in a private school, while if they enroll them in a public school they will receive nothing at all.

Big words like freedom and equality

Center-right exponents even speak of a “battle of freedom”; this would be a great step forward in achieving total ‘freedom of educational choice’. The use of the term freedom is interesting, which presupposes the elimination of an obstacle or constraint. I want my son to study in a private school; I have the freedom to make this choice for him, as long as I can afford it.

Since it is a private school, being able to enroll is a freedom, in fact, but not a right: the right is the right to education, and it is the public school that guarantees it. That the State, therefore, gives bonuses not in favor of the right to study but of the freedom to choose schools for the privileged (apparently).

There’s no sensible reason

There is no reason for this choice. Private schools are no one’s right and do not represent added value compared to public ones; the quality of teaching is often poor, teachers are paid very little and often have much longer hours than those in public schools. In short, these are not institutions of excellence, which are accessed on the basis of merit and for which a scholarship would therefore be fair.

Even more so given that private institutions will also be exempt from paying IMU, which is absurd given that they are private institutions. But, according to Fratelli d’Italia, this is a way to recognize the social role they play. But what social role? And why should this be rewarded with exemption from a tax that affects any other private institution? Especially considering that the exemption is not foreseen for profit-making activities, as reiterated by the Supreme Court.

Discrimination by private schools?

The Italian Parents’ Movement even goes so far as to speak of “discrimination that has persisted for over 25 years in our school system”. The discrimination would be that to sign up for the private sector you have to pay: crazy. Bringing up discrimination in a case like this is very serious, because it puts public and private schools as analogous, on the same level. This is not the case, but private education should indeed be subordinated to public education, for obvious reasons of uniformity of teaching and above all to guarantee (as far as possible) teaching free from religious or ideological conditioning.

But it does more than that. Private schools are actually portrayed as the highest goal to aim for, as if we all had to work hard to get there, as if public schools, being for mere mortals, were the fallback instead of being the backbone. A very elitist and decidedly misleading vision compared to the reality of the facts.

The money should be allocated to any family in difficulty

If we really wanted to guarantee freedom in education, the money should be given to poor families, regardless of where they enroll their children. Public school, as many sometimes forget, is not free: books, digital devices, educational trips and internships and much more are inaccessible for many families and this undermines the students’ educational and growth path. Being able to offer your child all the opportunities for growth and participation possible is freedom, not choosing to send him to a private school and being financially supported for this.