Italy has reintroduced a controversial “grades for conduct” policy allowing students to fail based on their behaviour, amid growing concerns over rising aggression towards teachers.
The “grades for conduct” scheme, reminiscent of a law first enacted by Benito Mussolini’s fascist regime in 1924, was approved as part of an education bill on Wednesday. This law empowers schools to hold students back solely due to poor behaviour, regardless of their academic performance.
Under the new rules, middle and high school students who receive a conduct score of five or lower out of 10 will automatically fail the year, even if their academic grades are satisfactory. Meanwhile, high school students who score a six on conduct will be required to complete a civic education exam. The behaviour score will also play a key role in determining whether students can sit the maturità, Italy’s crucial school-leaving exam.
Giuseppe Valditara, the education minister, emphasised the importance of this reform: “The grades-for-conduct reform restores the importance of individual responsibility, makes respect of people and public goods central and restores the authoritativeness of teachers.” Meloni herself has previously stated that the measure would help “bring back respect” within schools.
Additionally, fines ranging from €500 to €10,000 have been introduced for any aggressive or violent acts committed against school staff.
ANP – teachers’ association supports move
Italy’s association of headteachers, ANP, has supported the measure. This comes following a staggering increase of more than 110% in incidents of aggression towards teachers since the start of the year compared to 2023. Some incidents have resulted in teachers requiring medical attention, and in other cases, the aggressors were parents. A frequent source of conflict between students and teachers is the use of mobile phones in the classroom.
Antonello Giannelli, the president of ANP, expressed his approval, saying, “We have heard of too many cases of undisciplined and out-of-the-ordinary behaviour. It is right that students are called to reflect on their responsibilities as a consequence of their actions.”
Not everyone in favour of “grades for conduct” approach
However, not everyone is in favour of the move. Tommaso Martelli, a representative of a national student union, criticised the reform, describing it as a way to “reinforce an authoritarian and punitive culture.” He added: “The possibility of being failed for violations of the rules now makes the grades for conduct measure something that can be used as a further repressive tool in our schools.”
The original Mussolini-era rule remained in effect until the mid-1970s, when it was gradually phased out in response to student protests, eventually being removed entirely in 2000.
The set of measures has already passed through the Senate and was approved in the lower house with 154 votes in favour, 97 against, and seven abstentions.
Anna Ascani, a member of the centre-left Democratic party, strongly opposed the policy, stating that the return of the conduct rule represents “a return to a time that we would prefer to forget.”
