In Italy, the economic poverty of families strongly impacts the education of children and teenagers. Indeed, in our country on average family expenses on education are very low and have been decreasing in recent years, especially in the poorest quintiles of the population and in Southern regions. For example, a family with lower spending capacity (i.e. belonging to the lowest income quintile) and living in Southern Italy spends on average around 5 euros a month on education, while a family in the wealthiest quintile living in the same area spends 33 euros. The gap in education consumption between families in different economic conditions is widening in Northern regions. Here, poorer families spend 0.6% of their budgets on education, while wealthier families spend 2.2%[1], as highlighted by the calculations made by Save the Children based on data from the Italian Institute of Statistics (ISTAT).
Save the Children underlines that the issue of increasing education inequalities is linked to higher inflation rates in the last two years, which have caused an increase in consumer prices, especially for food and energy products.
Data show that the increase in the price of some goods and services has caused changes in families’ expenditure, pointing to an increase in education inequalities. For example, in Southern Italy families with lower spending capacity have reduced their expenses for food (from 33% to 31.5%) and increased those for housing (from 39.5% to 41.2%). Education was the lowest expenditure item already in 2020 and further decreased in 2021, going from 0.5% to 0.37% of the total. Less well-off families in Northern Italy have also reduced their education expenses, from 1.06% to 0.57%. On the other hand, while in Northern regions families in the higher quintile have reduced their expenses for food and increased those for housing and energy, they have also increased the amount they spend on education [2].
These data are particularly meaningful in light of the fact that the percentage of minors in absolute poverty in Italy has almost tripled in the last 10 years, reaching a peak of 14.2% (almost 1.4 million minors). Furthermore, physical poverty also impacts younger children and is one of the main causes of early school leaving. There is a strong connection between family poverty and children failing to reach adequate education levels, as shown by data from the National Institute for the Assessment of the Education System (INVALSI) [3].
As underlined by Save the Children, if we consider the impact of inflation and higher cost of living on households, there is an even stronger need to support education for children and teenagers in order to prevent them from dropping out of school due to physical poverty.
To combat this phenomenon and ensure that all children and adolescents have the possibility to learn and let their talents and aspirations emerge, Save the Children has promoted the “DOTi – Diritti ed Opportunità per Tutte e tutti” (Endowments_Rights and Opportunities for Everyone) project thanks to the support of the Istituto Buddista Italiano.Through the project, between 2020 and 2023, two thousand minors will receive “educational endowments”. From October 2020 to December 2022 already 1,430 endowments were distributed[4].
Educational endowments were invented and developed within Save the Children’s program called “Illuminiamo il futuro” (Let’s light up the future) in “Punti Luce” (Spotlights, i.e. spaces offering education opportunities). Endowments consist in personalized support interventions for children and teenagers living in severe social and economic deprivation. In practice, educational endowments supply goods or services to minors living in conditions of fragility and socioeconomic vulnerability, as certified by social services and schools. Interventions are unique in that they respond to specific needs, thus generating a virtuous mechanism that can improve each beneficiary’s resilience. Endowments are provided based on education plans agreed upon with minors and their families.
Analyzing the endowments distributed in the last year, we have a picture of the serious challenges that families have to overcome to grant their children opportunities for learning, education and/or socialization, which are key to their development.
38.6% of the 1,400 endowments already distributed was used to ensure children’s and teenagers’ right to education. In particular, endowments helped to purchase school text books (with an average expense of 315 euros), to pay for school canteen expenses (111 euros on average). 6.5% of endowments enabled teenagers at risk for early school leaving to access vocational training courses they wouldn’t have been able to attend otherwise, due to high fees or professional equipment costs – ranging from 400 to 800 euros and up to 1,650 euros for highly specialized training such as welding courses. Save the Children also highlights the importance of supporting extra-curricular activities (e.g. sports activities) that are fundamental for children’s development but are often inaccessible due to high costs.
“Thanks to the contribution of the Istituto Buddista Italiano Soka Gakkai through its 8×1000 funds, the “DOTi” project shows that a personalized investment in education has tangible effects in reducing early school leaving risks and promoting the talents of children and adolescents who live in the most disadvantaged contexts. Data tell us that, at this time of economic difficulty, immediate action by institutions is necessary to provide free school equipment to all children and teenagers – starting from the most deprived areas – to guarantee their right to education and reduce inequalities and the risk for social exclusion” says Raffaela Milano, Director of Italy-Europe Programs at Save the Children, the international organization that has been fighting to save children and grant them a future for more than 100 years.
“We strongly believe in the value of this project” says Anna Conti, vice president of the Istituto Buddista Italiano Soka Gakkai. “It underlines the value of the needs and desires of younger generations and, starting from these, it works to engage their families and the educating community, as if they were ripples in a pond that become larger and larger until they reach (and enrich) the whole community. Thus, a seemingly simple dream becomes an actual tool for empowerment. This is perfectly in line with the founding values of the Soka Gakkai as a Buddhist organization based on peace, culture and education.
As underlined by Save the Children, endowments not only contribute to combating physical poverty and poverty in education; they also provide children and adolescents with the necessary tools to develop their own talents and feel equal to others, also by nurturing their self-confidence and their abilities.
Federico* is an example of all this. He comes from a deprived background and is the point of reference for his mother and sister. Federico needed to go back to being just a teenager and let go of his (too) many responsibilities. Federico received an endowment including school materials necessary for him to attend classes and cooking workshops at his Hotel and Catering School.“For the first time I didn’t feel like a butcher due to the old gown my mother had modified to fit me as best she could. I felt part of the class”, as Federico told Save the Children staff.
Or Lea* was intermittently attending a five-year vocational training course amidst many difficulties. Two years ago she opted for a shorter course to become a hair-stylist but was required to buy books and a set of professional tools that her family couldn’t afford. Thanks to the endowment received, Lea completed her course and began an internship at a hair salon, where she successfully integrated with the staff and started her career.
As Raffaela Milano says, “These stories prove that educational endowments change not only the daily life of children and teenagers, but also their long-term perspective, by fostering self-esteem and instilling hope for the future. They stimulate children to work hard and fulfill their dreams regardless of their background or family situation.”
The “DOTi” project is implemented by the following partners: AppStart Cooperativa Sociale Onlus, Associazione Get Up, Associazione Inventare Insieme Onlus, Associazione Laboratorio Zen Insieme, Cooperativa Antropos Onlus, Cooperativa Santi Pietro e Paolo, Cooperativa Sociale Comunità del Giambellino, CSI Catania, Associazione Futuro Domani.
[1] Source: Save the Children calculations on 2021 data from ISTAT
[2] Cf. Foot Note 4
[3] https://invalsi-areaprove.cineca.it/docs/2022/Rilevazioni_Nazionali/Rapporto/Rapporto_Prove_INVALSI_2022.pdf For instance, the INVALSI 2022 report shows that the average advantage for middle school students coming from a socially-advantaged family is 8.3 points.
[4] The project takes place in 9 Italian regions, specifically in the areas of: Brindisi, Catania, L’Aquila, Locri, Milan, Palermo, Potenza, Prato, Rome, Udine.