- Valditara: "Fundamental training experiences, we will support the return to their full use"
- The Erasmus fund has been doubled
- From PON 41,5 million to Abruzzo, Molise and Sardinia for orientation abroad and transition to work
Following an investigation carried out on the initiative of the Minister of Education and Merit Giuseppe Valditara, the MIM will assign, through a specific directive, 50 million euros to allow schools, within the scope of their autonomy, to involve the largest number possible of students on school trips and educational visits in the 2023/2024 school year. It is the first time that resources have been allocated for this purpose and will be allocated with particular attention to children from less well-off families.
This is one of the system actions undertaken by the Ministry to support and encourage the resumption of school trips, tackling the problem of generalized price increases.
"Defending the right to study is a priority for the Ministry of Education and Merit", declared Minister Valditara, "and presupposes the participation of every young person, without prejudice to their social condition, in all the experiences training offered by the school. These include educational trips and educational visits, important opportunities for learning and human and civic growth. This is why we will concretely support the return to their full use, in respect of school autonomy, also to achieve a complete recovery of the sociality of children after the limitations imposed by the pandemic".
With a public notice soon to be adopted, the Ministry will identify the schools to which to allocate the resources, found within the allocation of the "Fund for the enrichment and expansion of the educational offer and for equalization interventions" established by law 440 /1997. The selection of institutions and the quantification of funding, within a predetermined ceiling, will take place on the basis of objective and transparent criteria, useful for identifying real situations of economic disadvantage. It will then be the responsibility of the educational institutions to carry out the punctual recognition of the needs of the families who will benefit from the contribution.
To this end, with a view to administrative simplification, operational indications will be provided to allow schools to manage the funding received as streamlined and effective as possible. Schools will be able to have the resources in good time to carry out careful planning of trips and educational outings for the 2023/2024 school year, in line with the three-year educational offer plan.
Furthermore, the resources of European programs also offer important opportunities for growth through international experiences and multilingualism for students, with particular reference to those in disadvantaged situations.
In order to strengthen the Erasmus program and encourage exchanges and training experiences abroad for students, teachers and school staff, a decree of the Minister of Education and Merit has allocated 150 million of the PNRR for 3 years, thus doubling the current resources planned for Erasmus, amounting to around 39 million for mobility actions. In this regard, Minister Valditara had already requested the allocation of greater Community resources at the European headquarters, to encourage the exchange of teachers and students throughout the EU.
Finally, for this school year, with the decree of the Minister of Education and Merit of 27 March, training activities abroad have already been authorized for guidance and to facilitate the school-to-work transition for a value of approximately 41,5 million of residual PON resources destined for schools in the Abruzzo, Molise and Sardinia regions.