HIGHER INSTITUTIONS, FIRST CLASSES IN ADDITION AT SELMI AND FERMI – Modena Municipality Press Office website

With the new school year, Selmi and Fermi, high schools in high demand, will have one more first class compared to last year, in this way all registrations have been accepted, even those redirected from other institutes. Furthermore, the Wiligelmo high school has added two first courses in Applied Sciences, after last year, in light of the constant increase in requests to the Corni Applied Sciences high school, a comparison was started between all the competent institutions to arrive at activate the address also at another high school.

Overall, enrollments in the first classes of upper secondary schools for the 2024/25 school year were higher than last year, but the precise data, based on the legal staffing, will only be communicated between the end of April and the beginning of May by which in the meantime has announced that the registration operations have been duly concluded.

Education councilor Grazia Baracchi made this known to the City Council on Thursday 15 April in response to a question from the Pd group which asked for data relating to school enrollments and redundancies; actions implemented by the municipal administration, respecting school autonomy, to open a dialogue with the institutions most affected by the redundancies; understand needs in terms of staff and school buildings; know the solutions implemented by schools to select new students.

With respect to the topics posed, the registration procedures are regulated at central level: the ministry publishes a circular (this year on 12 December) which also contains indications for the correct use and processing of data in accordance with the law. Therefore, the Municipality does not have direct jurisdiction; it was therefore the Modena territorial office VIII that provided various useful information.

The registration acceptance procedure took place from 11 February 2024 to 2 March; before that period the schools define, by resolution of the Institute Council, the priority criteria for admission, communicated to families during the open days and through publication on the school website, as well as in a section of the registration form.

Despite the greater number of students enrolled in the first classes of high schools, neither Iis Selmi nor Fermi have therefore started reorientation processes, hypothesizing an additional first class. And following the expansion of the training offer, sanctioned by the provincial Coordination Conference and then by the regional one, with the assignment of the Applied Sciences major to the Wiligelmo High School, enrollments equal to two more classes were accepted.

Instead, the Venturi, the only art institute in the province and the Liceo Sigonio, the only one in the municipal area with a Human Sciences major, received more registrations than could be accepted (the number is identified by the school director based on the available classrooms and staff resources). Nonetheless, at the Modena Area Office, it appears that, in relation to the municipal territory, the percentage of applications accepted at the first choice school is significant, while those managed with reorientation processes were largely accepted by other alternatives proposed in the model . At the time of enrolment, as required by the ministerial circular, families also indicate a second or third school. In residual cases, the schools accompanied the families in identifying a further suitable institution with a course of study and a curriculum in line with the choices made. Finally, whatever the path, the educational institutions ensure that the procedure ends with the enrollment of the student.

The Province, responsible for school buildings, has no role in defining the procedures for accessing and enrolling in upper secondary schools. The ministerial circular on registrations provides that the acceptance criteria are decided by the Institute Council before the opening of registrations. The Province could only suggest giving priority to the attendance of students residing in the provincial territory over those residing outside the province in order to allow residents to fulfill their compulsory education.

In the case of excess enrolments, the process of supporting the family in identifying another school falls under the responsibility of the Schools and Education Authority.