This archive report was first published on 26 December 2019.
Italy's education minister, Lorenzo Fioramonti, has resigned, citing a lack of funding for his ambitious plans to revitalize the country's schools and introduce climate change lessons nationwide.
On December 26, 2019, Fioramonti submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, after Parliament ratified a 2020 budget that fell a billion euros short of his request.
As education minister, Fioramonti had announced plans to teach students about climate change and environmental sustainability, beginning in the fall of 2020. He stated, “The 21st century citizen,” he said, “must be a sustainable citizen.”
However, Fioramonti had warned that he would quit if his request for an additional 3 billion euros for the education budget was not 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 in December 2019 showed Italy's schoolchildren lagging behind their peers in most Western European nations.
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 formed a new coalition with the center-left Democratic Party.
