The prophecy of Peter Calamandrei
" Facciamo l’ipotesi, così astrattamente, che ci sia un partito al potere, un partito dominante, il quale però formalmente vuole rispettare la Costituzione, does not want to violate the substance. It does not make the march on Rome and transform the classroom space for the paddles, but wants to establish, without opinion, a disguised dictatorship. So, what to do to gain control of schools and to transform the State schools into Party schools? He realizes that the State schools have the defect of being impartial. There is some resistance, in those schools is always there, even under fascism has been there. Then, the dominant party follows another path (it's all a theoretical hypothesis, mind you). He begins to neglect the public schools, to discredit, to impoverish. Let it anemizzino and begins to favor private schools. [...] It begins even to advise the boys to go to these schools, because basically it says are better than those of the state. And maybe give themselves awards, as now I will tell you, or proposes to give awards to citizens who are willing to send their children to public schools rather than private schools. A "those" private schools. The exams are easier, unless you study and you do best. So the private school becomes a privileged school. The ruling party, could not transform the State schools openly in Party schools, send the dogs to schools to give priority to the state's private schools. [...] We must keep an eye on the cooks of this low kitchen. The operation is done in three ways: I have already said - to ruin the State schools. Let go to hell. Depleting their budgets. Ignore their needs. - Mitigating the supervision and control over private schools. Do not check its reliability. Let the teachers teach you that do not have the minimum qualifications to teach. Let the examinations are jokes. - Giving public money to private schools. This is the point. Giving public money to private schools. "- Piero Calamandrei (Speech at the Third Congress in defense of the National School in Rome on February 11, 1950)