ITALIAN SCHOOL SYSTEM

Our School: I.T. G. Deledda Triest

In Italy school is compulsory from the age of 5 to the age of sixteen and all students are accepted, since education is a right and a duty of every citizen.

Education is free, paid by the Italian state through public taxes, so we don't have to to pay anything but a little fare of a few euros (around 20) a year, for the basic services (photocopies, laboratories, ecc...).

Italian students don't wear uniforms and we do not have schools for boys or girls only. From the beginning to the end of the school, male and female share the same class and the do the same activities, even physical education. The class has got its own classroom and teachers move from class to class every hour for their lesson. Teachers are called by their title and surname, for example Professoressa Simeoni or Professor Giannetti. 

In Italy there are also private schools, usually run by religious institutions where you have to pay very high fees, but their number is limited if compared to public schools.
 Everyone with higher secondary school certification got after state exam, can access the university. High marks are not required but in most faculties students have to pass an entry test.Univerity students pay taxes for their tuition, ranging from 1000 to 2000 euros (1300 – 2600 U.S. dollars) a year. 

DISTANCES

A typical Italian class

Each town has its own schools (primary and secondary) and the largest cities have their own university, so students don't have to travel so much to study and boarding schools are not very common.
Many primary schools have got their own canteen but not secondary schools. In secondary schools lessons usually start at 8 and finish at 2 pm. We go to school also on Saturday.

STRUCTURE

Italian educational system is structured in three cycles :

- Primary education, which includes primary school, with a five-year term.
- Secondary education, which includes the lower secondary level of three years, and the higher secondary levels of five years.
- Higher education, which includes University, Higher Education in Art, Music and Dance and Professional training.

In the higher secondary school grade students can choose among three types of schools: Licei (high schools), Technical Institutes, Professional Institutes.

LICEO
Liceo is a type of high school whose target is to train students to the academic world and prepare them to universities and institutions of the higher education, rather than placing them directly into the working market.
The name recalls Aristotle's Lyceum, founded in 336 BC by the Greek philosopher, whose name in turn derives from the dedication to Apollo Licio.

Each Liceo lasts five years, divided into a biennium and three final years. The six kinds of Liceo after the latest school reform are the following:

- Art Liceo 
 - Classical Liceo
- Foreign Languages Liceo 
 - Music and dance Liceo 
 - Scientific Liceo 
 - Human Sciences Liceo 

TECHNICAL INSTITUTES

The Technical Institute is a type of higher secondary technical school. The subjects here are mainly based on the use of laboratories. Technical institutes differ from professional institutes both for the legal duration of the course of five years, and for the joint preparation between theory and practice that ensures a good base to face the working world.

PROFESSIONAL INSTITUTES

The professional school is a type of secondary school, that, unlike the high schools and technical institutes, lasts only three years and generally offers a  more specific specialization for future works.

The University of Triest

UNIVERSITY

The cycle of studies at the university is divided into three levels:

1- Laurea Brevis (3 years)
2- Master (2 years)
3- PHD (3 years) or School of Specialization  (2-5 years)

By Diego, Beatrice & Albulena - I.t.a.s. G. Deledda, Trieste, Italy