Italy: illiteracy as a never-ending story
The problem of low literacy
When thinking about world challenges, what comes to our mind? From climate change to the Coronavirus pandemic to migration. Most of us do not think of literacy levels. However, it is a real issue. Literacy, from the ability of reading and writing to the acquisition of competences, is a catalyst for the processes of economic and social development of societies. Instead, low literacy does not affect only the lives of the low literates, but it has also a huge consequence on society as a whole. This means that low literacy affects all aspects of life: job opportunities, youth’s development, poverty, and social, psychological and economic inequalities within a country.
When we think about Italy, our mind suddenly ends up craving the tasty food, the beautiful places, the ancient culture and the warm weather. However, the situation is not as bright as it seems when looked from the outside. The country is one of the worst performing European countries in terms of literacy. Around 40% of the Italian adult population has low literacy and numeracy levels. Data shows that the country performs below OECD average. The average at its top performing countries does not have any of the Southern European countries. In fact, its neighboring countries (Spain, Greece and Portugal) do not perform better in terms of literacy levels.
One of the biggest consequences of low literacy rates in Italy is the hindering of Italy’s transitioning process towards a dynamic skills-based society. This means that most Italians with low literacy levels struggle to adapt to today’s fast-changing world because of a lack of basic skills. Experts and researchers agree on the fact that the issue of low literacy is a current one that has never been faced with strong and coordinated approaches by the government.
Policies adopted
Given the situation, we all might be thinking that strong and focused public policies to tackle low literacy should be taken for granted. Unfortunately, the reality is different.
Adult Education in Italy is generally an under-developed field of interest for the government. Only few policies have been developed and most of them are addressed to the youth. In this way Italy undermines the importance of education as a means of human capital.
Adult education and training choices are only available through evening secondary school courses. There are ‘Centri territoriali Permanenti’ (CTPs) that work to promote literacy development, where adults who need to, get a second chance for learning. They are active and function on a local level. As a result, regional governments are the only ones who influence the growth of adult education. Could maybe a national policy be more effective? Well, I think so.
As we’ve all heard at some point, perhaps in the news or at school, Italy suffers from a severe north-south divide. This explains why available frameworks, learning opportunities, and actors differ from region to region, making policy outcomes hazy and ambiguous.
Another worrying phenomenon in Italy is the NEET: those youth who don’t work and don’t study. Nearly one out of four young Italians aged between 15 and 29 is a NEET. It is one of the highest rates in OECD countries. Thankfully, in terms of literacy policies addressed to the youth, the country performs relatively better. To tackle the NEET phenomenon the government, in collaboration with the EU, is carrying out the ‘Garanzia Giovani’ (Youth Guarantee) plan. This plan aims at re-motivating and re-integrating them into society with focused programs. This gives us, at least me, a sigh of relief and the thought that there may be some hope.
The question that now rises is whether those policies are enough and actually efficient. I’ll discuss this in my next post.
Photo credits:
Photo 1 by Michele Bitteto from unsplash
Photo 2, 3 and 4 from Best 500+ Education Images [HD] | Download Free Pictures on Unsplash
It was very insightful to read about this situation in Italy! I wanted to ask about the Youth Guarantee plan. Since you stated that it is not commonly known, especially not by youth, how did you get to hear about it? And if you read it in the literature, was it difficult to get access to information about this important plan? 🙂
Hello Florine!!! Thank you for this comment! Thank you for raising the issue! Also, I’m sorry for letting you wait such a long time before answering your comment. Going back to the topic first of all, I gained information about the program when I started diving deeper and deeper into the low literacy situation not only in Italy but in Europe as a whole. In fact the youth guarantee plan is not an Italian initiative but a European one. It was created in response to the need to tackle the difficulties of entering the labour market and youth unemployment. Funding is targeted at countries with a youth unemployment rate of more than 25%. Unfortunately, in Italy there is also a problem of misinformation of the public and asymmetry of information. With this I mean that information is often scattered and confusing throughout the country that often fails to promote international programs. The country focuses more on a national-related strategy, however, it should be questioned.
Hi Matilde, thank you for your post, I did not know much about this topic before so I have definitly gained some insight into the issue of low literacy in Italy! You stated that there is no strong and coordinated approach by the government on the issue of low literacy, and that adult education is not considered a priority for the government. Why do you think this is?
Hello, Anne, thank you for the comment. Well, first of all I want to stress that low literacy, disappointingly, is clearly undermined by the government. This explains the lack of interest and focused policies in regards to the issue. I believe that it is because the phenomenon of low literacy in the country has been going on for a long time and perhaps, has been embraced by the country itself. It has also to be said that Italy, as many other countries, especially after the outbreak of the pandemic finds itself in a critical situation on different fronts. Funds and resources are limited and choices must be made. Surely, the government, whether wrongly or not, is not investing in literacy. I do believe it is a mistake because investing in literacy could be the first step towards a rebirth, that in decades for the first time would have solid foundations, on which society could be re-organized.
Hey Matilde! Your blogpost really helped me to get a good overview of the situation in Italy regarding literacy. Your text is very understandable and clear and immediately showed me what the problems and developments are in Italy. You describe in your text that one of the reasons for the lack of literacy initiatives is the North-South division in Italy. Do you think that the success of literacy programmes in Italy differs regionally? I would be interested to know how this varies.
Hey Lea!! Thank you for the feedback. Yes I definitely think that the success of literacy programs differs from region to region, I think that I spent a few words about this in the blog posts. However, the heart of the question lies in the fact that in Italy infrastructures and resources are more available in some regions than in others, this is why outcomes differ.