Only students with an average of eight on the trip: controversy. Valditara: «Merit is not a number on the report card»
The choice of the class council of a third of the Calvino institute in Turin to bring only the highest performing students on a visit to Milan is controversial
A class trip, as happens in all schools. Except that in this case participation was only allowed to students who had an average of 8. And what happened inevitably triggered controversy.
A third from the Italo Calvino secondary school , part of the Niccolò Tommaseo district institute in Turin , ended up in the spotlight, whose class council apparently decided to give the green light to a visit to the Radio 24 editorial office in Milan, in scope of a project linked to the creation of podcasts, only to the most deserving students.
This is because - it was explained - there were only 15 places available. But the selection of participants based on academic performance triggered reactions , starting with those of some parents of the students who remained in Turin who told the story to the local press, underlining that among those excluded there were also children with learning disabilities and one with disabilities.
The case was then mounted and the Minister of Education Giuseppe Valditara also intervened on the incident, according to which «merit does not have as reference the arithmetic average on the report card, but the commitment and consistency in realizing one's personal talents . If the choice to reduce the number of students admitted to the visit to just 15 was made by the host structure, I believe that an exception could have been requested and obtained by referring specifically to the need for inclusive teaching".
Meanwhile, not only the literature teacher who coordinates the project has ended up in the eye of the storm, but also the principal of Tommaseo, Lorenza Patriarca , well known in the city as a municipal councilor of the Democratic Party and president of the Education commission at Palazzo Civico .
«The literature teacher – explained Patriarca herself – involves the kids in an infinite number of initiatives and educational outings, working on projects, even in stays with multiple overnight stays outside the city». In this case, he adds, «the class council, in its autonomy, without involving the management, decided to choose on the basis of merit referring to scholastic results of at least 7 and 8 and the absence of disciplinary notes , commitment and interest included because in a class that works on projects, evaluation necessarily takes into account the active participation of the children."
As regards the student with disabilities, Patriarca states that «the support teacher assessed with the class council that the trip was not useful for him and that it would only create stress for him. But it's the only outing in which he wasn't involved."
(Unioneonline/lf)
