“I speak your language”: Italian schools abroad helping foreign families in Italy
A selection of forms in various foreign languages – enrolment, certification requests etc. – has been made available for Italy’s schools as a concrete way to help foreign families deal with red tape. That’s the idea behind the “I Speak Your Language” project, an initiative conceived through collaboration by the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry for Education, Universities and Research (MIUR).
An initiative made possibly by input – in Albania, Belgium, Brazil and Chile – from the network of Italian Schools Abroad run by the MFA. Pupils, teachers and administrative staff translated the forms, on a voluntary basis, into French, Albanian, Spanish and Portuguese.
Supporting the full integration of pupils who are not native Italian-speakers, and bringing their families into closer contact with the world of education, are the main aims of the project. “I Speak Your Language” will also promote the right to education and children’s rights, both long-standing and important Italian policy objectives.
“I Speak Your Language” is an open project that will grow over time as new schools join and that will help strengthen the links between Italian schools abroad and those in Italy itself.
The natural bilingual, bi-cultural propensities of the former will be an invaluable help in supporting the increasingly multi-cultural nature of schools here in Italy.
More information on “I Speak Your Language” can be found on the MIUR website: http://hubmiur.pubblica.istruzione.it/web/istruzione/home