Common law’s package
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The Italian school system
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Medical coverage
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School education in Italy is a public service, granted by the State in the common interest, following art. 34 of the Italian Constitution "School education is granted to everybody". The school system is indeed mainly addressed to young people, who are obliged to attend school for nine years (from age 6 to 15). Adults as well can benefit from going back to school to get a certificate of education, learn a handicraft, improve culturally.
HOW TO ENROLL FOREIGN MINORS IN AN ITALIAN PUBLIC SCHOOL
Both Italian and foreign young children are obliged to attend school, even if the latter are not holders of a permit of residence. They can and must attend school and take part in the life of the school community. Parents are obliged to enrol their children in a school and ensure they attend their classes. Especially shortly after they moved to Italy, foreign children could face some difficulties because of their insufficient knowledge of the Italian language or poor relationships with schoolmates and teachers. Should this happen, the parents can contact the school director or school manager, who in turn can get assistance from specially trained teachers or social counsellors. Lately some schools have started hiring special social and school mediators, who can facilitate the integration of foreign pupils in primary and junior secondary school. Foreign pupils holding a permit of residence for Italy can also attend upper secondary school, obtain certificates of education and attend University. The immigration law (art. 34, sub 21.0/1998) states that: "The school community welcomes the language and culture differences as an added value to enhance mutual respect, cultural exchange and understanding. In this perspective initiatives aiming at protecting the different cultures and languages of origin and the implementation of intercultural activities are to be encouraged".
VALIDATION OF CERTIFICATES OF EDUCATION
Foreign citizens having obtained a certificate of education abroad can apply for their validation in Italy. The procedure to obtain this validation is nonetheless lengthy and differs depending on the kind of certification. The starting point is always the hand over of the original certification to the Italian Embassy or Consulate in the country where the certificate was obtained. These institutions can verify the authenticity of the certificate and assess the corresponding cultural level in Italy (art. 48 of the implementation decree of the immigration law DPR 394/1999). This procedure is nonetheless so lengthy and complicated that many foreigners prefer to re-enrol in an Italian school or University in order to obtain a corresponding certification issued by an Italian body. In the working world an Italian certificate of education is very welcomed, since it also implies a good knowledge of the Italian culture and language (both spoken and written).
SCHOOL TRAINING FOR ADULTS
Also adult citizens can have access to school education. Adult training can be supplied either by the State of via private schools. A list of the different options can be obtained from the local school authorities such as Provveditorati agli Studi, Regioni, Comuni or the school districts. The courses normally have 1 year duration The possible options normally cover:
VOCATIONAL TRAINING
The vocational training aims at offering a vocational qualification and expertise to facilitate access to the working market. The qualifications can relate to different fields: sales, services, crafts etc.:
This training is organised by the Regioni, who issue a professional training programme each year. The courses can be held:
These courses can be either:
Enrollment and attendance to those courses is normally free of charge, although in some cases a small amount of money can be paid to the students depending on the number of hours of attendance. For some of the courses organised by private centres a fee can be charged by the school. Who can apply:
Minimum requirements for enrolment are a good knowledge of the Italian language, to have completed mandatory education and to be at least 15 years old. Any foreign citizens coming other than from the European Union and:
are obliged to register with the SSN (Sistema Sanitario Nazionale, National Health System).
CLANDESTINE IMMIGRANTS
All foreign citizens temporarily residing in the Italian territory, although they do not hold a permit of residence, are granted medical and hospital assistance in case of emergency, and for basic medical assistance -including persistent - in case of illness or accident. In any case the following medical events are always covered:
Should the concerned foreign citizen be in need, the above-mentioned services are provided for free, with the exception of those services for which the payment of a "ticket" is foreseen. Needy persons have to fill in an sign an appropriate form. In order to benefit from medical assistance any illegal foreign citizens need to obtain a special identification code called STP (Straniero Temporaneamente Presente) which is valid on the whole Italian territory. This code is anonymous and can be used for medical purposes only. Illegal immigrants can have access to medical assistance without this implying the police will be informed, unless the accident or illness appears to be linked to a criminal act. In that case the doctors are obliged to send a written report to the relevant police office.
FOREIGN CITIZEN HOLDING ENTRY VISA AND PERMIT OF RESIDENCE FOR MEDICAL REASONS
Those foreign citizens willing to come to Italy to undergo medical treatments have to obtain a prior permit of residence for medical reasons.
The certifications needed for this purpose are:
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