An opportunity to speak to young people, about young people. The President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella was invited to the inauguration ceremony of the 2021-2022 academic year of the University of Pavia. Where he took the opportunity for yet another appeal to vaccination: “I want to underline the moral and civic duty of vaccination: this is the tool that the scientific community quickly handed over to us to defeat the virus, the tool that science has delivered to us in an extraordinarily short time”. On the episodes of threats and violence against journalists and the scientific community, he added: «Threats of violence and violence must be sanctioned with due rigor to protect those who have adopted responsible behavior. This responsibility, which deserves constant appreciation, has made it possible for universities to resume in attendance; the schools reopen, the economy has restarted ». And again: “You cannot invoke freedom in order not to get vaccinated, you put the health of others at risk”.
On the state ofeconomy Italian, the Head of State declared: «The economy has restarted, the Government has attended and that the data of the economic recovery are of an extraordinary positive nature. This is possible because we fight the pandemic with responsible behavior, with vaccination, with prudence that does not conflict with the normality of life “.
Mattarella then spoke of academic data in comparison with the rest of Europe: «The gap in the percentage of graduates between our country and the European average is unacceptable» he underlined, recalling how «investing in young people and their training is intelligent and far-sighted. The European Union has also done it with the Next generation, the push that has allowed us to commit a great European project, which has gathered countries for the future of young people ». And again: «One of the duties of today is to broaden the base of those who participate in knowledge, to make it complete, without exclusions. This need must be emphasized today with greater conviction, after what we have gone through with the pandemic and the debts we have with science and research ».
Mattarella also spoke about Italian universities: “660 years – those of Pavia, ed – represent a long history of great importance, the network of our universities gathers ancient and recent universities, all precious, many of the recent ones have quickly acquired a quality of great prestige. Ancient universities play a very important role, also because they maintain today “also” the connection with the scientific process that continues to develop. You magnificent rector illustrated to us the research projects so advanced in this university »added the Head of State. Until the final consideration: «History gives us figures of self-taught scientists who have made important discoveries. But how many talents remained unexpressed because they did not access knowledge? ”