The right to access the Italian public education system is guaranteed to all minors, regardless their status, and to adults who hold a valid permit.

Read the article to learn more!

Education for children

Children can go to Italian school and study the Italian language.

Italian law states that all minors, both Italian and foreign, have the right and the obligation, until the age of 16, to take part in the national education system.

This law also applies to unaccompanied children seeking asylum and children of asylum-seekers, as well as children whose parents do not have a valid permit of stay.

Once children are present in the Italian territory and register with the National Educational System, they can begin schooling immediately.

Schools are not required to hold preparatory classes for foreign children, but some have them anyway.

Education for adults

People older than 16 with a valid permit of stay have the right to go to public schools for adults, under the same conditions as Italian citizens. Such classes may happen either at public schools at night, or at centers called Centri Provinciali per L’istruzione degli Adulti (CPIA), which are located throughout Italy.

At the CPIA, you can study to obtain the diploma di terza media, which is often the minimum level of education required to get a job contract in Italy. CPIA also offer Italian language courses.

If you are in a reception center, the center should offer you an Italian language course. However, the quality of these classes varies among different centers.

These are only a few possibilities for adult education — there are many others.

It may be difficult to enroll in this kind of school if you never studied in your country of origin, and if the center you live in is located in a remote area, but it is not impossible.