Figure 1.--The boys from an inidentified Italian school wear English looking blazers although the jackets do not have lapels. These uniforms almost certainly mean it was private school. We are not sure when this photograph was taken, but it may have been 1968. Another portrait shows the boys wearing the identical uniform in 1959. They may be doing their First Communnion. Notice their medals.

At all levels of education there are completely private institutions (scuole private). As in the rest of Europe, the schools were not as well, as aesult we know very little about the country's private schools. They were administered by private individuals or bodies corporate, charging fees and issuing qualifications that are not legally recognized. At primary level, their creation requires the authorization of the MPI; at secondary level they do not require such approval but must comply with public order, hygiene and health regulations. There are also officially recognized private schools. At primary level, these are subsidized schools (scuole sussidiate), established after they have the approval of the Provincial Director of Education, or state authorized schools (scuole parificate), opened only by corporations, associations or organizations on the basis of an agreement with the Provincial Director after they have the approval of the MPI. At secondary level, they are legally recognized schools (scuole legalmente riconosciute) or state authorized schools (scuole pareggiate) according to Ministerial Decree. The former may be administered by public bodies or individuals, the latter by non-state or religious public bodies. In recognized schools, the curricula, pupil assessment and teachers' qualifications must be similar to those in state schools. No fees are charged in recognized primary schools; and whilst recognized secondary schools do charge fees, they must provide free places to secondary level pupils receiving local authority scholarships. The State rarely provides aid to private schools and then only in the form of subsidies or grants to institutions which cater for educational or social needs that state education does not meet.

Chronology

Italy during the middle ages was divided into various city states, the Papal states, areas occupied by Austri, and the Kingdom of Napes in the south. It is in this enviroment that educational system began to develop. Most education was controlled by the Catholic Church. We have very limited information about Italian private schools over time. We notice schools beginning in the 19th century that look to be private schools. Here our chronology is complicated by the fact that Italy was not unified until 1860. We are not yet sure about Italian schools before unification. We believe that education was still largely cntrolled by the Church before unification, especially in the Papal States. After unification we have begun to acquire some limited information. Italy was unified around the House of Savoy and the Kingdom of Sardinia which included Piedmont. Italy's educational system was structured around the system of the Kingdom of Sardinia at the time of unification. Fortunately by the time Italy was unified, phoyogroh had been invented, so we have some information from the photographic record. Many images are not identified, but we believe that we can often tell whether a school is private or public from the way the children are dressed.

Levels

At all levels of education there are completely private institutions (scuole private). There were colegios which inclusded both primary abd secindary levels.

Operators

They were administered by private individuals or bodies corporate, charging fees and issuing qualifications that are not legally recognized. We think that most of the groups were religious organizatioins, but our information is still very limited.

Government Regulations

The Ministry of Public Education ((Ministero della Pubblica Istruzione--MPI) is the principal educational authority in Italy, although during the Fascist years it was replaced. The Government regulations are somewhat complicated and we do not yet fully understand them. There appear to be both officially recognized and other recognizxed schools. At the primary level, creating a private school requires the authorization of the MPI. At the secondary level they do not require such approval but must comply with public order, hygiene and health regulations. There are also officially recognized private schools. At primary level, these are subsidized schools (scuole sussidiate), established after they have the approval of the Provincial Director of Education, or state authorized schools (scuole parificate). These schools are opened by corporations, associations or organizations on the basis of an agreement with the Provincial Director after they have the approval of the MPI. At the secondary level, they are legally recognized schools (scuole legalmente riconosciute) or state authorized schools (scuole pareggiate) according to Ministerial Decree. The former may be administered by public bodies or individuals, the latter by non-state or religious public bodies. In recognized schools, the curricula, pupil assessment and teachers' qualifications must be similar to those in state schools. No fees are charged in recognized primary schools; and whilst recognized secondary schools do charge fees, they must provide free places to secondary level pupils receiving local authority scholarships.

Funding

We note both fee paying schools as well as some schools that receive at least some state funding. The State rarely provides aid to private schools and then only in the form of subsidies or grants to institutions which cater for educational or social needs that state education does not meet.

Individual Schools

As in the rest of Europe, the schools were not as well, as aesult we know very little about the country's private schools.

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Created: June 1, 20041
Last updated: 10:48 PM 9/19/2011