The Ministry of education and merit has revised the curriculum for preprimary school and for the first cycle of education. The new curriculum will apply from school year 2026/2027.

A first draft of the revised document was published in March 2025 and subjected to a public consultation with various categories of stakeholders in the school world. Last June, the Ministry of education and merit submitted a new draft of the document to the Higher council of public education (Consiglio superiore della pubblica istruzione – CSPI), which provided the necessary opinion. The definitive version of the National guidelines for the curriculum - Preprimary school and schools of the first cycle of education (Indicazioni nazionali per il curriculum - Scuola dell’infanzia e scuole del primo ciclo di istruzione) will now be submitted to the opinion of the Council of the State.   

As for the curricular subjects, the National guidelines emphasise:

• the importance of enhancing the teaching of writing and calligraphy, the exercise of summarising and studying poems by heart,
• the promotion of STEM with, for example, the introduction of IT in primary school is reiterated,
• at lower secondary level, a greater concentration on the history of the West through the study of Mediterranean civilisations, and on political and physical geography using digital methods of representation
• the introduction of Latin as an optional curricular subject in lower secondary school to strengthen knowledge of the Italian language, logical ability and reasoning,
• the confirmation of the centrality of foreign languages, of the musical experience through vocal and instrumental practice, of the teaching of art and image to develop both expressive and technical skills, and of motor education as a discipline that helps pupils form their personalities.

Moreover, the document has a focus on education in empathy and gender respect, on the role of the teacher as a cultural and educational reference figure working in synergy with families and school staff, and on knowledge as the basis for skills. 

The application of the new National guidelines in schools is expected from the school year 2026/2027.

For more information: https://www.mim.gov.it/web/guest/-/nuove-indicazioni-nazionali-concluso-iter-competenza-del-ministero

Source: Eurydice Unit Italy