Our son started primary school in Italy this year, and he seems to be loving it. Our six year old’s appetite for knowledge seems insatiable, I’m happy to say. His progress has been, well, one could say, ‘colourful’.
In fact he seems to be demolishing coloured pencils at an alarming rate. If I were a tree, I’d be afraid, very afraid.
Every evening his pencil case comes out, and either mother or father spends ten minutes in the intimate company of a pencil sharpener.
The wee one has only been at school for a sum total of two months, but I hate to think just how many pencils have been literally whittled away to nothing. Incredible it is. Still, he certainly seems to be colouring his way towards knowledge, and his teachers seem to be willing too, which is good.
So what has Italy’s inability to afford toilet rolls and paint got to do with my son’s first few steps in school? Be patient, I’ll come to this. Actually, before whining, let me say that Italian primary schools, and their staff – when they are not striking, that is – seem to be excellent. The nursery school was very well run too.
There are, however, a couple of aspects of Italian primary schools which I find weird. Yes, here come the toilet rolls, and the paint.
No Money for Toilet Paper in Italy
My Son, with mum, off to his First Day at Italian Primary School
Would you believe that Italy, supposedly the seventh largest economy in the known world, cannot afford to supply its primary schools with toilet paper? Not even Milan, which has one of the highest GDPs in the world, seems to be able to find funds to pay for toilet paper for its kids.
Instead in the seventh largest economy in the world, parents are expected to pay for toliet paper for their kids. Farcical, is it not? And my son’s school is not the only one to be lacking in toilet roll funds.
Bog Rolls In Bulk
Luckily my son’s first school has a thriving parents association, and some bright sparks have managed to order bog rolls in bulk, which has saved parents a few pennies or two.
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Why Italy’s government could not have achieved the same thing, beats me. Are they all too busy fending off sex scandals? Makes one wonder.
Oh, and we have to buy the coloured pencils too, as well as many other items such as exercise books. And paint. No, not the paint for finger-painting and the like, although we have to pay for this too, but the paint for the classrooms.
Italian Parents Paint Classrooms
It seems that the seventh richest economy in the world cannot afford paint for the inside of its primary schools. The classrooms are painted by volunteering parents – who buy the paint. It really is weird.
Perhaps having two teachers for each class of 24 kids costs an arm and a leg, and this is probable. However it does seem strange that parents have to paint their children’s classrooms in Italy.
To be honest though, I’d be happy to maintain this wonky status quo, if teaching quality is kept high.
Worryingly, I’ve been told that Italy’s state run education system takes a qualitative nose dive from middle school onwards. This is sad, but Italy’s Education Minister Mariastella Gelmini seems to be trying to do something about this. I hope she succeeds.
In the meantime, we shall continue to buy pencils, pay into the toilet roll fund, and paint classrooms. As long as my little one continues to learn though, I’ll put up with Italy’s idiosyncrasies.
I’d welcome similar stories about education systems in other countries which cannot afford toilet paper and paint.
Italy Chronicles Feed
Umm… well, I’ve seen it in the States my friend. When I was a teacher in Louisiana, it was not uncommon to hear similar stories about neighboring schools as well. Maybe there was toilet paper, just no doors on the stalls or the toilets didn’t flush or no paper in the bathroom where it was needed. These were common stories in inner city schools as well as poor rural schools. New Orleans public schools were a MESS before Katrina, a dangerous mess in most cases.
What a pity!
Hi Dana,
So, Italy is copying the number one economy in the world – which cannot afford to maintain its schools.
I guess this makes me feel a little better. Possibly.
Incredible really. You’d expect education to be more highly valued. Well, I would.
Not the case though. And someone else has told me that the education system in the US is not wonderful.
Thanks for the comment.
Best,
Alex
Hi Alex,
I have several friends that are teachers in the US and it has always been quite common for American parents and teachers to supplement what the school (or classroom) budget can’t cover on its own. My mother even had to do this when she was a teacher 50 years ago.
My children attend public schools here in Italy and I have yet to pay for anything other than the normal school supplies I would expect to buy (which as it should, includes colored pencils). We have never had to pay for toilet paper or paint but we do pay extra to cover the bus rides for outside field trips but again, I would expect to have to do this.
Glad that you and your family are feeling better.
Hi Kris,
I think all the schools I’ve ever been to have had fund raising drives for one thing or another. Schools never seem to have enough cash. And school trips were an extra too.
It’s having to pay for that most basic of basics – toilet paper – which gets me – and some other parents too.
The decoration of the inside of the school seems to be down to parents too. There are some safety issues within the school, but trying to get official maintenance to come out appears to be impossible – we got a note about this recently. Looks as though they are waiting for an accident to happen before acting. Not good, in a school.
Thanks for the kind wishes.
Best,
Alex
Back when I was teacher (my wife still is) we used to spend over $2500 per year to help equip our classrooms. She still spends over $1500 on her own. A long time ago I moved to a really nice school in our neighborhood and was assigned to a rather “dingy” classroom. So I painted it the week before school opened that year. Eleven years later the City School System had it repainted. So, sometimes we get paint and sometimes we do not.
I have donated my older computers to that school – still functioning and with decent software. Three weeks ago I wrote a $150 business check (called it a donation) to pay for a bus for a school trip to Pumpkin Farm (these are city kids who may not ever get to visit a farm) for my wife’s Pre-K class and the Kindergarten class. It seems the City School System has stopped paying for buses for school trips. The “superintendent” just accepted a multi-thousand dollar bonus for improved test scores – yet he can’t lead the system fiscally. What did the teachers get for teaching those children who scored well? Nothing – not even a small raise.
Overall – be happy with the educational progress your child is making. Just be sure to thank the teachers for that.
Hi Bill,
Thanks for your comment – It’s interesting to hear how things are in other areas. And it looks as though schools seem to be treated badly in other countries with mega-economies.
The ‘superintendent’ situation is incredible. Teachers deserve more appreciation – and not just slaps on backs.
I’ll make a point of thanking the teachers. I teach too, so I appreciate it when people say thanks – and I like to hear about former students doing well for themselves too.
Best,
Alex
Yeah I am running the pledge drive for my daughters public school here in Chicago, and items on teachers’ wishlists include pencil sharpeners, calculators, and colored copy paper. We are also raising money for paint for the walls! And field trips are often to free places, where each student pays $5 or so to cover the cost of the bus. Really if you’ve got good teachers, you can fill in the rest. Who wants to be in a freshly painted school with lots of toilet paper and bad teachers? Can’t do much there….
Wow. And I thought it was an outrage that you had to bring your own bottle of water to the hospital or the gym!!!!
Here in Hawai we have toilet paper, but last year they cut school days from 5 days a week to 4 and let the kids go home a 1:15 because of the lack of funds, so the toilet paper just sat there. Everything here is expensive, we pay for the school bus, supplies, and uniforms, which consist of T-shirts, and the tutors if your kid falls behind, which most do in national standers. Our art and sports programs are cut so we pay for our children to participate in clubs outside the school system, We have the lowest minimum wage with the highest cost of living. Our teachers all struggle to prepare class rooms, and fund raising is a must. The one good thing is that our children are out side all year and it is beautiful and clean here, just don’t drink the water.
Hi Dina,
Sorry for not replying sooner – your comment got buried a little.
Interesting to here about the situation in Hawai. Seeing as it is part of the US of A, I imagined that things would be better.
Funny how governments,which always go on about the importance of the future, tend to neglect education. Providing everyone with a good education should contribute towards creating a better future society, and avoid creating problems like global warming, perhaps. This fact seems to escape many politicos though. Don’t know why – it could be a vote winner if played well.
As an aside, get the school to set up a blog on some aspect of Hawai and put Adsense on it – over time, and provided the blog is maintained and focused, it will raise funds for the school – but don’t encourage people to click on ads – Google will ban you!
Best,
Alex
In the public schools in the inner cities, it gets even worse. Peeling paint, not enough desks, not enough textbooks (and who knows how old the textbooks they have are)…money instead has to be spent on metal detectors and security staff.
NYC painting volunteers
In the city where I live, the supply list asks for contributions for the year: package of napkins, Clorox wipes, tissues, cups, paper towels, ziploc bags, and utensils. Since some people can’t afford these, they also post them in grocery, discount, and office supply stores where non-parents can make donations. Here are the lists for the various schools in my city.