The 2022 Budget Law provides that, starting from the next school year, a specialized teacher will allow even the youngest students to carry out sporting activities. While the NRR allocates 300 million for the construction and renovation of gyms and sports facilities of the institutes.
In elementary schools, from next year, pupils will finally be able to carry out motor education lessons with a specialized teacher. A historic turning point, foreseen by the 2022 Budget Law, which overturns the real school structure which, up to now, admits the teaching of sporting activity in the classroom but entrusts it to teachers of other subjects. Competence, therefore, will be at the center of the new course and will also benefit the parents of children who, over the years, in order to have their children carry out Motor Education with an expert, in many cases had to pay professionals out of their own pockets. external.
It will be the fifth classes of the primary, in the year 2022/2023 to benefit first from the reform. But from 2023/2024 the system will also expand to the fourth grade. Furthermore, the new legislation also underlines that the specialized teacher will be equated, from a legal and economic point of view, to the other teachers of the various school disciplines. But the strengthening of sports activities at school is also one of the objectives of the NRR, which provides for an ad hoc investment for new gyms and equipment, as well as for the renovation of existing ones.
Motor education, how it works today
But let’s start by summarizing the current situation. Daniele Grassucci, director of Skuola.net, explains how the “gym hour” works again for this school year: “It is not that today there are no hours of lessons dedicated to physical or motor education in primary schools, there are simply no ad hoc teachers as is the case in secondary schools. So it may happen that one of the teachers normally assigned to teaching the various subjects foreseen in this study cycle is assigned the responsibility of managing the activities of physical education ».
But this is not the only solution available to institutions. Although, it must be said, the alternative provides for the “contribution” of families: «Since this assignment does not necessarily correspond to a specific preparation in this regard – underlines Grassucci – schools often resort to the support of specialized personnel or sports associations. But this is possible only by putting one’s hand to the portfolio, therefore by finding the necessary funds through the contribution of families or through other forms of finding resources for the expansion of the didactic and training offer ». All this, however, from next September could be just a memory.
Employment of specialized teachers and strengthening of sport at school
The teaching of physical education in elementary schools will in fact become an integral part of teaching, like the other subjects. Contrary to what has happened in the last sixty years, therefore, students will be able to carry out sports activities with a teacher trained ad hoc to do so, with at least two hours of teaching per week for each class.
But, as mentioned, this will not be the only news coming in regards to sport in schools. If the 2022 Budget Law introduces the “motor education teacher” to elementary school, the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (Pnrr) provides for an allocation of 300 million for the construction of new gyms and the renovation of existing ones, plus the purchase of adequate equipment, to enhance the teaching offer (even after school hours) and increase the presence of such structures in our institutes.
It is estimated that, with this intervention, about 400 gyms and sports facilities will be able to be built or renovated in the next five years. A step that, among other things, would help to combat early school leaving, particularly in the most disadvantaged areas, where the presence of gyms in schools is less. According to an openpolis Foundation elaboration on Pnrr data, in fact, 38% of the institutes in less developed areas of our country do not have them, compared to 22% of the more developed ones and 26% of those in transition.
Physical education in primary school, enthusiasm of Undersecretary Valentina Vezzali
For Valentina Vezzali, Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council with responsibility for sport, the provisions of this sort of “sport package” is something historical: “Introducing the teaching of physical education in primary school entrusted to specialized teachers – wrote Vezzali on his own Facebook page – represents a result that has been expected for over 60 years and is a fundamental point for the sporting cultural revolution of our country ».
“Since the first day of my assignment – continues the Undersecretary – one of my main objectives has been one of my main objectives to foresee the teacher of physical education from primary school, because we cannot think of a sportier Italy if we do not start educating our children from the earliest years of their training. Today’s decision is confirmation of the Draghi Government’s strong commitment to the “Next Generation”, made up of concrete actions and economic investments in school sports facilities envisaged by the NRP ».
“I thank the Minister of Education Patrizio Bianchi and Undersecretary Rossano Sasso – concludes Vezzali – for sharing the goal and working in synergy, reaching a desired result for years, wanted by many in words but achieved, with deeds, only now! “