The tormented path of the reform arrives today in the Senate hall where the Government will place its trust in a maxi-amendment which incorporates some of the mostly pejorative proposals of the oppositions but which has not found consensus in the Education commission of Palazzo Madama.
Among the novelties of the maxi-amendment is the immediate go-ahead for the hiring of teachers who have passed the competition and which increases to 107 thousand (because they also include those eligible for 2012), the announcement of a new competition in December of this year , the three-year evaluation of principals, a ceiling of 100 euros on donations, the evaluation of teachers also through an external member sent by the regional school office.
As could be expected, the openness to the opposition did not lead to an expansion of consensus on the Government's line but it worsened the initial text by losing important parts of the reform: thus postponing to 2017 the new rules that strengthen the autonomy of schools and the direct call of teachers included in special registers by the principals.
If the Senate gives the green light to the reform, the text will immediately pass to the House for the final vote, so that the procedures can start immediately. Teachers aside, school reform still appears to be a lost opportunity for the country where a large part of the school staff, supported by the conservative policies of the trade unions, refuses a real valorisation of merit.
