Zerboni faced a challenge from Valditara.
In Turin, the Minister of Education, Giuseppe Valditara, visited the Istituto Superiore Zerboni on the second day of his visit to the city. The school, known for training both maintenance workers and fashion experts, has made headlines six months ago due to two incidents of student violence against teachers.
Upon arrival, Valditara was met with a mixed reception. While real students applauded his entrance, a group of anarchists and alternative students shouted insults. The Minister, however, chose to focus on the positive, commenting on the applause from the students.
During his visit, Valditara announced the launch of the "Insieme per il successo formativo 4+2" bando, a new initiative intended for technical and professional institutes. He also answered questions about the activation of the project's supported training pathways.
The Minister also took the opportunity to discuss the pilot project involving Zerboni's laboratory. This collaboration between the school, the Fire Department, the local school office, the Union of Industrialists, the National Association of Engineers, and the Maq school network has led to the establishment of the first certified laboratory for training fire safety maintenance workers. The Zerboni is now a "frontier school" in this field.
However, the visit was not without incident. Thirty students from the Ksa (Autonomous Student Collective) protested outside the school, shouting insults at the Minister, throwing smoke bombs, and attempting to climb over fences. In response, Valditara urged the protesters to "go to work, be useful to society, do something concrete" instead of making threats.
Valditara also spoke about Paolo Mendico, a 14-year-old boy who took his own life on September 11. He stated that he continues to inform himself constantly about the case to understand what happened.
The Minister's day ended with the launch of the Fondazione's projects for the new school year, which he did with President Anna Maria Poggi at 11:30. Meanwhile, the Diderot project, which has involved over 1.6 million students, will be expanded and enriched with new lines and recipients this year.
As for the schools collaborating with Zerboni on the network to achieve certification for a laboratory for training fire safety maintenance personnel, they remain undisclosed.
