Report 2006. Subsidiarity and Education
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Presentation of the First Subsidiarity Report. Subsidiarity and Education
The “common good” (welfare) is not indicative of government power, but the state has the duty to guarantee it, promoting free personal expression, no longer as an “abstraction” but as a dynamic concept, within its real multiplicity of social relationships. (Giorgio Vittadini in “Sussidiarietà ed educazione” - Rapporto sulla sussidiarietà 2006)
The Research on “Subsidiarity and Education” has been conducted by the Fondazione per la Sussidiarietà during 2006 on a sample of 3,216 interviews of families, institutions and companies.
Five years after inserting the principle of Subsidiarity in our constitution, this research was meant to check the spread of knowledge about subsidiarity in the productive, social and political world in Italy at the present. The subject “subsidiarity”, in its double meaning as vertical and horizontal subsidiarity, has been put in relationship with the subject “education”.
Education is considered the most important national emergency by 61% of the interviewed families, followed closely by institutions and companies, and even 35% believe it a quite important emergency in Italy.
Which are the necessary items for a quality school? Conscious about the importance of the challenge of education, more than 55% of the interviewed affirm that teacher’s qualification and capability is the most important item for a quality school; meanwhile the “social and cultural context” is considered important by 23%, followed by the presence of the family (15%) and economical resources (7%).
Which are the educational factors influencing growth of a person? Growth of personality depends rather on the educational work done by a “master” (89%) than on an individualistic type of education, without any kind of authority (10%); rather on “the participation in a group or community” (78%) than on an “own personal itinerary” (21%). The alternative between an educational choice which favors spontaneity (54%) rather than giving importance to tradition and belonging (43%), reflects a more balanced opinion.
Which should be then the purpose and the aim of school? 82% of the interviewed are convinced, that school should first of all “instruct and educate”, that means either to form the personality or to provide knowledge, and not only be limited to “train for an employment” (13%).
On the track for work which these statements may suggest to politics in this sector at a local, regional and national level, ICeSD and Provincia di Venezia promoted on May 25, 2007 a meeting between the authors of this research and the institutional summits of education. Among teachers, experts and parents, about 300 people participated at this congress organized at the “Auditorium della Provincia” in Mestre, Venice.
