General legislation
Costituzione della Repubblica italiana (Constitution of the Italian Republic)
Contents: The Constitution is the fundamental legislative act and the highest act in the hierarchy of the legislative sources. It defines the nature, the form, the structure, as well as the fundamental principles and rules of the State. The Constitution was published on the 27 December 1947 and entered into force on the 1st January 1948. It has a written and rigid form. It is made up of 139 articles. Articles 33 and 34 establish the basic principles on education:
According to article 33, arts and sciences and their teaching is open. The State sets the general rules on education and establishes State schools at all levels of education. Public and private bodies are entitled to set educational institutions without costs for the State. The State may acknowledge to private schools a status equal to State schools under certain conditions established by the law. State exams take place at the end of each cycle of education and to gain qualification for certain professions. Universities and higher education institutions are autonomous within the limits established by the law.
Article 34 establishes that the school is open to everyone and that the lower levels of education should cover at least eight years and must be compulsory and provided for free. Capable and deserving students, even if without means, have the right to reach the highest levels of education through allowances and grants from the State. Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale, no. 298, 27/12/1947.
The Constitution is also available in English.
Legge 133/2008 (law 133/3008)
Date: 6 August 2008
Contents: Law no. 133 converts into law the Decree 122/2008 concerning, among others, urgent measures to reduce the public costs also in the field of education, e.g. introducing the use of digital books to reduce costs fro families. It provides also for the reorganization of all the education levels through specific regulations: re-organisation of the school system (DPR 81/2009), the revision of the first cycle of education and of timetables (DPR 89/2009), the reform of the second cycle of education (DPR 87/2010, DPR 88/2010, DPR 89/2010). Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 195, 21/08/2008
DPR 394/1999 (Presidential Decree 394/1999)
Date: 31 August 1999
Contents: Provisions concerning immigration and the status of strangers in Italy. It deals also with the access to education and the recognition of diplomas obtained abroad. Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 258, 3/11/1999.
D.Lgs. 297/1994 (Legislative Decree 297/1994)
Date: 16 April 1994
Consolidated act of legislative dispositions on education, concerning all educational levels. Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale, n. 115, 19/05/1994
Legge 104/1992 (law 104/1992)
Date: 5 February 1992
Frame law for the assistance, social integration and rights of people with disabilities. Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale, n. 39, 17/02/1992.
ECEC and School education
Legge 150/2024 (law 150/2024)
Date: 1 October 2024
Contents: the law changes some dispositions of the D.Lgs. 62/2017 on the evaluation of pupils of primary and secondary education. At primary level, descriptive judgements are replaced by synthetic judgements. At secondary level, stricter measures are introduced in case of students’ behaviours assessed with low marks. Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale, n. 243, 16/10/2024
D.M. 183/2024 (Ministerial Decree 183/2024)
Date: 7 September 2024,
Contents: The Decree is the document that adopts the Guidelines for the teaching of civic education ‘Linee guida sull’apprendimento dell’educazione civica’, annexed to the Decree itself. The Guidelines describe the contents of the teaching of civic education, as well as the goals and achievements that students are expected to achieve in this subject from preprimary to upper secondary education. The new Guidelines replace the previous Guidelines of 2020.
Legge 79/2022 (Law 72/2022)
Date: 29 June 2022
Contents: the law modifies the D.Lgs 59/2017 on the initial training of secondary teachers, introducing a qualifying specialisation programme for the acquisition of 60 ECTS. The contents and the organisation of the programmes have been established through the DPCM of the 4th of August 2023. Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 150 del 29-06-2022.
D.M. 43/2022 (Ministerial Decree 43/2022)
Date: 24 February 2022
Contents:The Decree contains the National guidelines for the early childhood education services (Orientamenti nazionali per i servizi educativi per l'infanzia), which is the reference document for all ECEC services welcoming children up to the age of three years. Together with the National guidelines for the integrated system 0-6 and the National guidelines for the curriculum for ECEC 3-6, they make up the reference framework for the educational activities in the whole ECEC system.
DM 334/2021 (Ministerial Decree 334/2021)
Date: 22 November 2021
Contents: the Decree contains the National guidelines for the integrated system from 0 to 6 years of age. It is the reference document providing all ECEC services, both for younger and older children with a general educational frame.
D.M. 769/2018 (Ministerial Decree 769/2018)
Date: 26 November 2018
Contents: the Decree makes available to schools the reference frameworks for the written tests of the State examination at the end of the upper secondary education. The reference frameworks describe in detail the possible contents and aims of each test. The Decree also provides schools with evaluation form models to have a more homogeneous evaluation of students.
D.M. 378/2018 (Ministerial Decree 378/2018)
Date: 9 May 2018
Contents: the Decree establishes the contents of the qualifications required to work as educators in ECEC settings for children aged less than three years. It also regulates the specialisation course that graduates with a master’s degree for teaching in pre-primary and primary schools are required to complete in order to work as educators.
D.M. 92/2018 (Ministerial Decree 92/2018)
Date: 24 May 2018
Contents: the Decree follows the revision of the vocational paths in school-based vocational upper secondary education. It describes in detail: the learning outcomes in terms of knowledge and skills with reference to the general area of learning; the competences and skills students are expected to acquire at the end of each of the 11 paths; the annual timetables of each subject for each path. The Decree replaces the previous DPR 87/2010.
D.M 742/2017 (Ministerial Decree 742/2017)
Date: 3 October 2017
Contents: The Decree makes available to school the model document for the certification of the competences that pupils have acquired during the first cycle of education. the certification is released at the end of primary and lower secondary school.
Legge 107/2015 (law 107/2015)
Date:13 July 2015
Contents: The law reforms some aspects of the education and training system and gives to the Government the task of reorganising the legislation on education. Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale, n. 162, 15/07/2015. Law 107 has been implemented through a series of Decrees each regulating specific aspects of the reform:
- D.Lgs. 59/2017 establishes the reorganisation and simplification of ITE and of the recruitment of teachers in secondary education. The Decree has been modified by the law 72/2022.
- D.Lgs. 61/2017 regulates the revision of vocational education and its connections with the regional vocational training system.
- D.Lgs. 62/2017 regulates the assessment procedures and the recognition of competences in the first cycle of education, as well as some changes in the final State exams. D.M. 3 October 2017, no. 741 makes these dispositions applicable. The Decree has been modified by law 150/2024.
- D.Lgs. 65/2017 establishes the so called ‘integrated system’ of education from birth to six years of age.
- D.Lgs. 66/2017 modifies some aspects of the inclusion in mainstream education of pupils and students with disabilities.
DPR 80/2013 (Presidential Decree 80/2013)
Date:28 March 2013
Contents: Regulation for the organisation of the national system for the evaluation of the education and training system. The national evaluation system has been established by Law 10/2010. Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale, n. 155, 04/07/2013.
DPR 175/1012 (Presidential Decree 175/2012)
Date: 20 August 2012
Contents: The Decree gives execution of the agreement between the Minister of education, university and research and the President of the Italian bishops' Conference for the teaching of the Catholic religion in State schools. It contains dispositions on the organisation of the teaching of Catholic religion and on the general requirements to teach Catholic religion in State schools. Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale, n. 242, 16/10/2012.
D.M. 254/2012 (Ministerial Decree 254/2012)
Date:16 November 2012
Contents: The Decree has introduced the new National Guidelines for the Curriculum for pre-primary education and for the first cycle of education. National guidelines replace the previous guidelines of 2004 and 2007. In 2018, the document has been updated by the National guidelines and new scenarios (Indicazioni nazionali e nuovi scenari).
Legge 221/2012 (law 221/2012)
Date:17 December 2012
Contents: The law (for the conversion of law-decree 179/2012) introduces urgent measures for the economic growth of the country. It includes measures on textbooks, specifying the meaning of digital and mixed version of textbooks. Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale, Roma, n. 294, 18/12/2012.
Direttiva Ministeriale 4/2012 (Ministerial Directive 4/2012)
Date:16 January 2012
Contents: Directive for the publication of the new Guidelines for the third, fourth and fifth year of technical upper secondary education. Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 76, 30/03/2012.
Direttiva Ministeriale 5/2012 (Ministerial Directive 5/2012)
Date:16 January 2012
Contents: Directive for the publication of the new Guidelines for the third, fourth and fifth year of vocational upper secondary education. Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 76, 30/03/2012.
Legge 170/2010 (Law 170/2010)
Date:8 October 2010
Contents: Law recognising the rights of pupils with Specific Learning Disabilities. It also provides indications of the diagnosis and educative and teaching measures to support pupils with SLD.
D.M. 211/2010 (Ministerial Decree 211/2010)
Date:7 October 2010
Contents: Decree providing National Guidelines for the curriculum in general upper secondary schools (licei), issued according to the reform of upper secondary education of 2010 (D.M. 89/2010).
D.M. 249/2010 (Ministerial Decree 249/2010)
Date:10 September 2010
Contents: Decree on the reform of the initial teacher training system for teachers of all school levels, preprimary included.
Direttiva Ministeriale 57/2010 (Ministerial Directive 57/2010)
Date:15 July 2010
Contents: Directive providing guidelines for the curriculum of the first two years of studies in technical institutes, according to the reform of upper secondary education (DPR no. 88/2010 re-organising the upper secondary technical education).
Direttiva Ministeriale 65/2010 (Ministerial Directive 65/2010)
Date:28 July 2010
Contents: Directive providing guidelines for the curriculum of the first two years of studies in vocational institutes, according to the reform of upper secondary education (DPR no. 87/2010 re-organising the upper secondary vocational education).
DPR 11 February 2010
Contents: Decree for the approval of learning objectives for Catholic religious education in pre-primary education and in the first cycle of education. Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale, n. 105, 7/05/2010.
DPR 87/2010 (Presidential Decree 87/2010)
Date:15 March 2010
Contents: Decree providing for the new organisation of vocational institutes, according to the reform of the upper secondary level of education. Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale, n. 137, 15/06/2010.
DPR 88/2010 (Presidential Decree 88/2010)
Date:15 March 2010
Contents: Decree providing for the new organisation of technical institutes, according to the reform of the upper secondary level of education. Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale, n. 137, 15/06/2010.
DPR 89/2010 (Presidential Decree 89/2010)
Date:15 March 2010
Contents: Decree providing for the new organisation of general upper secondary institutes (licei), according to the reform of the upper secondary level of education.
DPR 81/2009 (Presidential Decree 81/2209)
Date:20 March 2009
Contents: This Decree has been issued according to Law 133/2008 in order to reorganize the school network and to have a more efficient use of human resources at school. It includes disposition on the new limits for the class size at all school level. Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 151, 2/07/2009.
DPR 89/2009 (Presidential Decree 89/2209)
Date:20 March 2009
Contents: This Decree has been issued according to Law 133/2008 and provides for the revision of the organisation of the preprimary, primary and lower secondary levels. It includes the dispositions on early enrolments to preprimary schools, the curriculum, the new organisation of the school time foreseen also by law 169/2008 for primary and lower secondary schools, starting from school year 2009/2010. Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 162, 15/07/2009.
DPR 122/2009 (Presidential Decree 122/2209)
Date:22 June 2009
Contents: Decree for the coordination of the dispositions on the evaluation of students. Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 191, 19/08/2009.
Legge 169/2008 (law 169/2008)
Date:30 October 2008
Contents: Conversion into Law of the Decree 1st September 2008, no. 137 concerning urgent dispositions on education and university. This law introduced a new organisation of school time at primary level and new rules for the adoption of textbooks. Some dispositions, e.g. on the assessment of pupils and on the transversal teaching of Citizenship and Constitutions, have been repealed. Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 256, 31/10/2008.
D.M. 139/2007 (Ministerial Decree 139/2007)
Date:22 August 2007
Contents: The Decree deals with the extension of the length of compulsory education up to 10 years of education (from 6 to 16 years of age). The Decree describes also competences and knowledge that pupils are expected to have acquired at the end of compulsory education.
Legge 1/2007 (law 1/2007)
Date: 11 January 2007
Contents: Provisions concerning the State upper secondary education leaving exams. It also delegates the Government the regulation of the links between schools and the universities. Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 10, 13/01/2007.
Decreto inter-ministeriale 29 novembre 2007
Contents: The Decree, signed by both the Ministry of education and the Ministry of labour, establishes that compulsory education can be fulfilled also within the three-year vocational training courses, falling under the responsibilities of the Regions.
DPR 235/2007 (Presidential Decree 235/2007)
Date:21 November 2007
Contents: Regulation laying down amendments and additions to DPR 249/1998, concerning the Charter of students at secondary school level (Statuto delle studentesse e degli studenti). Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 293, 18/12/2007.
Legge 27/2006 (law 27/2006)
Date:3 February 2006
Contents: Law for the conversion of the DL 250/2005 concerning non State schools. This law establishes that non State schools can only belong to two types of schools: paritarie (equal to State schools) and non paritarie (non-equal to State schools). Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 29, 4/02/2006.
Legge 53/2003 (law 53/2003)
Date:28 March 2003
Contents: Delegation to the Government for the definition of general provisions on education and for the definition of expected minimum levels of performances in education and in vocational training. It provides for the reform of the whole education system. Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 77, 2/04/2003.
Legge 62/2000 (law 62/2000)
Date:10 March 2000
Contents: Rules on the recognition of the equal status to private schools and to schools run by local authorities and provisions concerning the right to study and to education. Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 67, 31/03/2000.
DPR 275/1999 (Presidential Decree 275/1999)
Date:8 March 1999
Contents: Regulation that defines the general frame on the teaching, administrative and organisational autonomy of schools and of their functions. It establishes also the contents of the Educational offer plan (Piano dell’offerta formativa – POF), which is the document each school draws up to describe its pedagogical and educational offer, then called Three-year educational offer plan (Piano Triennale dell’offerta formativa - PTOF). Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 186, 10/08/1999.
Higher education
Legge 99/2022 (law 99/2022)
Date:15 July 2022
Contents: The Law establishes the system of the Higher technological tertiary education. Within the system, Higher technological institutes, called ITS Academies, offer both short-cycle and bachelor’s programmes in technological fields with high level of specialisation. Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 173, 26/07/2022.
D.M. 120/2016 (Ministerial Decree 120/2016)
Date:7 June 2016
Contents: The Decree establishes criteria and benchmarks for awarding the national scientific qualification (habilitation), which is a necessary requirement to access the recruitment procedures to become professor at universities.
DPR 95/2016 (Presidential Decree 95/2016)
Date:4 April 2016
Contents: Decree of the President of the Republic that regulates the procedures for awarding the national scientific habilitation, necessary to apply for public vacancies published by universities to recruit professors, both full and associate. Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 130, 6/06/2016.
D.M. 45/2013 (Ministerial Decree 45/2013)
Date:8 February 2013
Contents: The Decree includes methods for the accreditation of doctoral courses and of institutions providing doctoral courses. It also establishes the criteria that accredited institutions should follow for setting out doctoral courses.
Legge 240/2010 (law 240/2010)
Date:30 December 2010
Contents: The law contains dispositions on the organisation of universities, on the teaching staff and their recruitment. It also delegates the government to issue regulations aimed at improving the quality and efficiency of the university system. Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 10, 14/01/2011.
D. Lgs. 21/2008 (Legislative Decree 21/2008)
Date:14 January 2008
Contents: Definition of guidance pathways for university and High education in art and music, for a connection between school, university and Institutes for High education in art and music, as well as for the exploitation of quality of students’ school achievements in their access to university degree courses with an admission test, as foreseen by law 2 August 1999 and law 11 January 2007.
DPR 212/2005 (Presidential Decree 212/2005)
Date: 8 July 2005
Contents: Dispositions for the definition of the didactical programs at the Institutes for the Higher education for fine arts, music and dance (Afam) as foreseen by law no. 508 of 1999. Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 243, 18/10/2005.
D.M. 509/1999 (Ministerial Decree 509/1999)
Date: 3 November 1999
Contents: Regulation concerning the teaching autonomy of the universities. Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 2, 04/01/2000.
Legge 264/1999 (law 264/1999)
Date: 2 August 1999
Contents: Provisions concerning admission requirements to university courses and limited access to courses. Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 183, 06/08/1999.
Legge 508/1999 (law 508/1999)
Date:21 December 1999
Contents: Reform of Academies of Fine Arts, National Academies of the Dance, Higher Institutes for Artistic Industries, Music Schools and approved Music Institutes. Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 2, 04/01/2000.
Adult education
Inter-Ministerial Decree of 8 January 2018
Contents: The Decree established the National framework for qualifications released within the National system for the certification of competences. Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 20, 25/01/2018.
D.Lgs. 13/2013 (legislative decree 13/2013)
Date:16 January 2013
Contents: General dispositions and expected minimum levels of performance for identification and validation of non-formal and informal learning as well as of minimum service standards of the national system for skills certification, as foreseen by law 28 June 2012, no. 92. Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 39, 15/02/2013.
DPR 263/2012 (Presidential Decree 263/2012)
Date:29 October 2012
Contents: Regulation laying down general rules on restructuring the teaching organisation of Adult education institutions, including evening classes. Published in: Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 47, 25/2/2013.
Accordo Stato/Regioni 252/2012 (State-Regions Agreement 252/2012)
Date:20 December 2012
Contents: Agreement on referencing the Italian qualifications system to the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) for lifelong learning addressed in the Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2008.