Finally we begin to talk seriously about early school leaving. It seemed that distance learning was the best of all possible worlds, but we are realizing that this is not the case. But then the numbers need to be talked about, they are interpreted. And above all they must pave the way for concrete decisions and initiatives », says Daniela Pes, principal of the comprehensive Russolillo institute in Pianura, who comments on the letter sent to school administrators by the prosecutor for minors Maria De Luzenberger. As told yesterday by Repubblica, the magistrate recalls that “today, more than ever, failure to attend school is indicative of the existence of situations of serious family difficulty” and considers it “essential to ensure timely reporting of cases” of absence, five days consecutive or ten occasional without justification since the beginning of the year. A move that shakes the principals and rekindles the spotlight on the phenomenon of the escape from compulsory education in the times of Covid.
In a city like Naples, the situation can also change profoundly depending on the neighborhoods. In Pianura, explains the headmaster Pes, «with distance learning we discovered a very high dispersion which increased compared to the first lockdown, when the parents were forced to stay at home. In October, on the other hand, we had students literally left to themselves ». In Scampia, on the other hand, argues Rosalba Rotondo, dean of the comprehensive Alpi-Levi institute, “distance learning is not the main cause of evasion. Indeed, perhaps the percentage has even decreased, because with the face-to-face lessons we had entire families who had contracted the virus ». At the Casanova technical, professional and evening institute, in the heart of the historic center, says the headmaster Mira Masillo, the dispersion rate «is in sharp decline despite Dad. We have implemented all the strategies, not only providing devices to students, but also activating a psychological support desk that is working and from which the strong socio-economic discomfort caused by this situation is emerging not only on children, but also on parents “. With Dad, argues Bruna Musello, manager of the Duca di Buonvicino hotel institute in Calata Capodichino, “the most disadvantaged families have found enormous difficulties. The school has made the devices available, but many have not accepted it so as not to take responsibility in case of damage provided for in the loan for use contract ».
In the Quartieri Spagnoli, remarks Eugenio Tipaldi, head of the comprehensive D’Aosta-Scura institute, «we have cases of“ historical ”evasion that are handed down from one brother to another. We managed to deliver 80 tablets on loan for use, but unfortunately there are families who do not want to know about sending their children to school, either face to face or remotely “. Valeria Pirone, principal of the comprehensive Vittorino da Feltre institute in San Giovanni in Teduccio, tells us that in her school «it is better than the first lockdown, when we have definitively lost some boys. This year we are achieving positive results thanks to the project with the Bambù cooperative that sends an educator home to help the children connect. But then there are also those who also refuse this type of help and do not want to let educators enter. When this is the case, it becomes difficult to recover these guys. And you end up losing someone ». On the initiative of the prosecutor de Luzenberger, principal Rotondo reasons: «Monitoring is always useful, as long as it is useful in identifying the causes. Each student has his own history and as far as we are concerned we are able to make a complete medical history for each of our students ». The executive Masillo, on the other hand, is tranchant: «The problem is not reconnaissance, also because this is what we have always done regularly, nor changing the interlocutor to whom the results are sent. What matters, rather, is to understand what is actually done by those who receive our reports ».
For the principal Pirone «reporting is not enough. We do it all the time, I monitor the situation myself every week and square up with the social workers. But we would prefer to see concrete actions, also because it would be unfair to let everything fall on the shoulders of us principals ». Principal Tipaldi argues: «The magistrate’s note is to be welcomed positively, also because our reports often do not find immediate feedback because social workers are themselves few and involved in many schools. But I expect concrete interventions, I would not like to find myself in five years, knowing the timing of justice, in a courtroom to confirm that a pupil did not attend school when there will be nothing more to do “. The synergy between institutions, the dean Musello underlines, «is always a positive thing. The important thing, especially on a delicate side such as that of school evasion, is to operate with common sense ».
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