12 June 2026
Giorgia Sgueglia
Italy at UNESCO: The Contradictions Behind Valditara's Approach to Educational Equity
A year ago, we examined the Valditara reform, an overhaul of Italy’s education system that reflected the nationalist orientation of Giorgia Meloni’s government. Christianity and a celebratory account of Western civilization were placed at its centre. Sex education, gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights, and critical discussions of colonialism, racism, and multiculturalism were pushed to the margins-or omitted altogether.
The reform was presented as a step towards a more democratic school system. In practice, it rested on a selective understanding of which histories, values, and cultural narratives should contribute to shaping the civic imagination of future generations.
On 25 March 2026, Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara presented a different image of Italian education at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. Speaking at the launch of the Global Education Monitoring Report 2026, the first publication in UNESCO’s Countdown to 2030 series, he described Italy as an example of progress towards a more inclusive, accessible, and equitable education system.
His intervention focused on Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), which measures countries’ ability to provide quality education and equal opportunities. During a panel on strategies to reduce school dropout rates, Valditara highlighted mentoring programmes, digital tools, and targeted support measures, presenting Agenda Sud as a successful case study.
Launched in 2023, Agenda Sud was designed to address persistent educational inequalities in southern Italy. The programme supports 150 schools and finances initiatives aimed at strengthening core skills, improving performance in key subjects, expanding individual tutoring, and providing additional support to students considered at risk of dropping out.
Originally planned as a two-year initiative, the programme was later extended until the 2026–27 school year, reflecting the difficulty of reducing territorial disparities within a short timeframe. Agenda Sud forms part of Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), which allocates approximately €1.5 billion to reducing school dropout rates and educational inequalities through a combination of infrastructure investment and educational support measures.
Agenda Sud operates alongside Agenda Nord and other programmes targeting schools facing greater structural challenges. The outcomes cited by the Ministry of Education at UNESCO are measurable.
According to the latest data from ISTAT, Italy’s early school-leaving rate fell to 8.2% in 2025, below the European Union’s 2030 target of 9%. The figure stood at 18.8% in 2010 and 14.2% in 2020. Southern Italy followed a similar trend, with the rate declining from around 17% in 2018 to approximately 8.4% in 2025, bringing the region closer to the national average than at any previous point. The decline forms part of a broader shift in how educational performance is monitored and evaluated.
One recurring feature of the Meloni government’s approach has been the growing use of data to identify vulnerabilities and direct public intervention. Standardised INVALSI tests have become one of the principal tools used to measure educational disparities across schools and regions. INVALSI, however, provides only a partial picture. The tests assess a limited range of competencies, primarily Italian, mathematics, and English, and only at specific stages of the educational pathway.
The results allow nationwide comparisons but capture only part of the educational experience. Factors such as students’ socioeconomic backgrounds, the condition of school infrastructure, and the quality of teaching remain difficult to incorporate into standardised indicators.
As INVALSI data become increasingly integrated into policymaking, particularly through the PNRR, schools risk being evaluated primarily through performance metrics. A tool intended to identify inequalities can also contribute to framing them as measurable and persistent differences.
Educational equity extends beyond access to schooling. It also concerns the quality of education and the structural conditions that shape educational outcomes.
Gender disparities remain significant. In 2025, the early school-leaving rate stood at 12.2% for boys, compared with 7.1% for girls. The gap is even wider among students with foreign citizenship, whose dropout rate reached 26.2%, nearly four times that of Italian students.
The material conditions of schools present additional challenges. Much of Italy’s school infrastructure dates from before the 1970s and has not always been updated to meet current standards. A 2026 survey of middle and high school students found that around 80% attended classes in inadequately heated classrooms following the winter holidays, while 60% reported insufficient temperatures during the school year. Official data indicate that 1.5% of school buildings lack heating systems altogether, while information remains incomplete for a further share of facilities.
Organisational capacity represents a further area of concern. For the 2026–27 academic year, the government announced the reduction of 2,174 support staff positions in upper-secondary schools. These employees play a central role in supervising, ensuring safety, and supporting students with disabilities. Trade unions have warned that the cuts could weaken the organisational capacity of schools already facing complex educational challenges. In several cases, institutions are expected to accommodate larger numbers of students, classes, and special educational needs with fewer staff.
Valditara’s presentation in Paris also highlighted the use of artificial intelligence-based digital platforms intended to provide personalised support for students at risk of dropping out.
The effectiveness of such measures depends partly on existing levels of digital access and digital literacy. Significant territorial disparities remain. Northern regions continue to report higher levels of digital competence than southern regions. In Campania and Calabria, fewer than 43% of residents possess basic digital skills. The divide is also socioeconomic. Among adults aged 25 to 54, 86.1% of university graduates possess at least basic digital skills, compared with 33.5% of those with a lower secondary education. Access to home internet follows a similar pattern.
Italy has recorded measurable progress in reducing school dropout rates. The figures presented at UNESCO reflect a genuine improvement. At the same time, the education system continues to be shaped by territorial inequalities, uneven material conditions, staffing shortages, and a persistent gap between policy objectives and everyday realities in schools. The tension is not new. It was already present in the Valditara reform itself: a project presented as a means of making education more equitable and democratic, while producing outcomes that often point in a different direction.