Italy: New guidelines for teaching civic education
In September 2024, the Ministry of Education and Merit has published the ‘Guidelines for the teaching of civic education’. Introduced in 2020/2021 by law 92/2019 as a compulsory subject, it replaces the former ‘Citizenship and constitution’ subject.
The published guidelines are based on three areas of civic education:
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Italian Constitution: general principles, the organisation of the State and of regional and local authorities, symbols of the Italian and EU institutions, study of general laws and meaning of legality.
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Economic development and sustainability: valuing work and entrepreneurship, protection of the environment and of heritage, health education, respect for animals.
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Digital citizenship: responsible use of technologies, awareness of risks, approaches to the use of technologies, ban of smartphones from pre-primary to lower secondary education.
Civic education is allocated at least 33 hours per year, and its instruction is designed to integrate with all the other curricular subjects without increasing the overall weekly and annual teaching hours. As a result, civic education is recognized and assessed as a distinct subject.
For more information: Linee guida per l’insegnamento dell’educazione civica, DM 183/2024
Source: Eurydice Unit Italy
