It will no longer be possible to remain silent during the final exam as a form of protest : following the cases in Veneto - two students refused to take the oral exam - the Minister of Education Giuseppe Valditara has decided to intervene and assures that the reform of the exam (which will no longer be called the State exam but simply the Maturity) will include the fact that if a student does not show up for the oral exam or voluntarily decides not to answer the teachers' questions, not because they are unprepared, but because they want to "not collaborate" or "boycott" the exam, they will have to repeat the year.

Just today, a high school student from Belluno refused to take her final exam oral exam: this is the second case in Veneto, following that of Gianmaria Favaretto, 19, a student at the Fermi scientific high school in Padua. Despite not taking the oral exam, he still obtained his diploma because he had already passed the exam thanks to his credits from the last three years.

Again, 19-year-old student Maddalena Bianchi explained, the decision was made to protest "school evaluation mechanisms, excessive competitiveness, and the lack of empathy among the teaching staff." The students of the Network are taking Maddalena and Gianmaria's side. "It's a justified protest, we've said it many times, the exam needs to be rethought," said Bianca Piergentili, coordinator of the student movement.

The adult world, however, is divided. The principals of DirigentiScuola, along with vice president Alberto Mugnai, note that the gesture "raises many questions" since it highlights "the discomfort experienced daily by many students pressured by excessive expectations. While we believe that respectful and responsible behavior is necessary during a public exam, and that it is legitimate to expect seriousness from all candidates, it would be superficial to reduce these gestures of 'civil dissent' to simple disrespect. It is a cry for attention."

Mario Rusconi, president of ANP Roma, disagrees. He believes that " these students who skipped the oral exam were making a media-friendly gesture; it was their way of standing out. Many use Instagram or other social media, but they chose a more original format." He also believes that the final exam, while not abolished, should be rethought. According to Ornella Cuzzupi, secretary of UGL Scuola, "when oral and written exams are required, it's undesirable for there to be different assessment methods." Finally, there are those, like ANP national president Antonello Giannelli, who urged Minister Valditara to intervene: "It must be recognized that taking the oral exam is irreplaceable. Those who refuse to take the oral exam should not be allowed to pass the exam; the current rules need to be changed." This is what the minister subsequently announced.

(Unioneonline)

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