Salerno, hemorrhage of students and schools at risk: «New mergers»

Also the capital of a very large province is hit by the anomalous wave of demographic decline. At the Education Information System (Sidi) the data on the headcount of the school population in the first cycle of schools delivers alarming numbers for the next school year 2024-2025. In the city of Salerno, which until a few years ago managed to resist the blows of the demographic collapse, since September As many as 346 pupils will be missing between nursery and primary schools.

The data leaked following the completion of the registry entry operations for pupils in the first year of nursery and primary schools carried out by the secretariats of the schools of the capital. Worrying numbers. Which were also expected by the Municipality of Salerno. «I asked for data on enrollment numbers to get a picture of attendance and to be able to think about optimizing the school network in the municipal area. But based on the first trends I can say that the sizing plan started in 2024 will certainly continue from next autumn, unfortunately we have schools in the capital below the threshold of 900 pupils, we will have to proceed to new mergers»: states the education councilor of the Municipality of Salerno, Gaetana Falcone.

Numbers that il Mattino can reveal in preview for the first cycle of education. With the numbers in our possession it seems that the demographic decline is very worrying, even in Salerno city. At the nursery school in the capital, 243 students were lost, and 103 at the elementary schools. We go from 2,245 kindergarten students in the 2023-2024 school year to 2,002 students in the next 2024-2025 school year, with a heavy drop of 243 pupils: just 14 nursery school sections in the capital were lost. At primary school, data is still decreasing, although smaller than at nursery school. In primary school we go from 4,784 students enrolled in the current school year to 4,681 for the next school yearwith a loss of 103 students. In primary school, 6 classes were lost. Overall, in the first two school levels of the capital, as many as 20 classes went up in smoke in less than 12 months.

Here are the official data. In primary school the Convitto Tasso has 196 students; 263 students at the Giovi Ogliara comprehensive; 558 to the comprehensive San Tommaso di Fratte and Matierno-Calcedonia; 622 to the sympathetic Quasimodo; 464 to the understanding John Paul II; 644 to the Mari-Barra comprehensive; 353 to the Vicinanza comprehensive; 521 to the Montalcini comprehensive; 73 at the inclusive rate; 692 including Gold Medals; 295 to the Monterisi-Don Milani comprehensive. 106 pupils at Convitto Tasso are enrolled in nursery schools; 203 including Giovi Ogliara; 287 to the comprehensive San Tommaso di Fratte and Matierno-Calcedonia; 222 to the sympathetic Quasimodo; 159 to the understanding John Paul II; 200 to the Mari-Barra comprehensive; 174 to the Vicinanza comprehensive; 210 to the Montalcini comprehensive; 33 at the inclusive rate; 291 including Gold Medals; 117 to the Monterisi-Don Milani comprehensive. The numbers of the capital are in line with those of the rest of the Salerno area. From September we will have 2,883 fewer students in schools.

And there will be repercussions in terms of school size. After the mergers of November and December in the capital which gave rise to the Calcedonia-San Tommaso, Mari-Barra and Don Milani-Monterisi districts, councilor Falcone leaves the door open to new “obligatory” mergers. «We are suffering at the Tasso comprehensive and the Giovi-Ogliara comprehensive and widespread drops are recorded in normal-sized comprehensives, unfortunately we will have to continue to operate”, concludes Falcone. A still incandescent autumn is therefore expected after the difficult months of protests in the streets and under the Municipality. The demographic decline imposes forced choices.

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