He Vowed to Revitalize Italy’s Schools. After a Budget Loss, He’s Out.

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ROME — Italy’s education minister, who had vowed to revitalize the country’s schools and introduce lessons on climate change in every grade nationwide, has resigned, citing a lack of funding.

The minister, Lorenzo Fioramonti, submitted his resignation on Monday after Parliament ratified a 2020 budget that fell a billion euros short of his request. The resignation was disclosed publicly on Wednesday.

Mr. Fioramonti, appointed in September, had announced ambitious plans to teach students about the climate and environmental sustainability, beginning next fall. “The 21st century citizen,” he said, “must be a sustainable citizen.”

But his resignation this week didn’t come as a surprise.

In an interview with the newspaper Il Messaggero last month, Mr. Fioramonti said he was seeking an additional 3 billion euros for the education budget and would quit if the request wasn’t met. The budget approved by Parliament added €2 billion, according to the economy minister, Roberto Gualtieri.

Italy has one of the lowest spending rates for education among developed countries, dedicating 2.8 percent of its gross domestic product to schools and universities. Standardized test scores released this month showed Italy’s schoolchildren lagging behind their peers in most Western European nations.

Mr. Fioramonti, an author and academic, was elected to Parliament in 2018 as part of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement. He joined the cabinet this fall when Five Star, which had previously governed with the right-wing League, formed a new coalition with the center-left Democratic Party.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether Mr. Fioramonti’s resignation would affect plans to expand lessons on climate change, although Five Star has promoted the protection and study of the environment.

His “irrevocable resignation,” tendered to Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, is a blow to the governing alliance but is not likely to have wide political ramifications. Mr. Fioramonti is expected to leave Five Star and form an independent party that would still support the Conte-led government, the newspaper Repubblica reported.



Source : Nytimes