Translated automatically by AI from the Italian original.
PALERMO – From marches to direct action. After the first protests at the start of autumn, student unrest in Palermo has escalated, leading to the first official school occupations of the academic year: this morning, students took control of the premises of the Liceo Classico Umberto I and the Educandato Statale Vittorio Emanuele II.
The initiative marks the start of a widespread mobilisation that is expected to spread across the entire city school network ahead of the major march and general demonstration called for Friday morning in piazza Verdi.
Demands: school buildings, safety and opposition to the cap on foreign pupils
At the heart of the policy document approved by the school assemblies are several long-standing demands and issues of immediate political relevance:
- School buildings and work placements: the call for urgent structural interventions to secure school buildings and a definitive rejection of work-related learning schemes (PCTO);
- 30% cap and “barracks schools”: strong opposition to the 30% limit on foreign pupils per class and a criminal complaint about what the student collective describes as a repressive climate within schools;
- Safety and the right to education: protection of student welfare against the high cost of books and the lack of adequate transport.
Attack on Valditara as schools enter state of unrest
Particular criticism was levelled at the leadership of the Ministry of Education and Merit. “We were ignored even by minister Valditara,” the student representatives said bluntly. “They made us wait for hours in the sun only to dismiss us by inviting us to send an email, simply because the minister was expected for lunch.”
The wave of discontent is rapidly spreading across the city. In addition to the occupations at Umberto I and Vittorio Emanuele II, the Benedetto Croce, Regina Margherita, Rutelli, Meli lyceums and the I.O.S. Catalano building are in a state of unrest with permanent assemblies. Tensions remain extremely high ahead of Friday’s events.
