Barbiana's most necessary contributions at this historic moment in time

Abstract

It is a balance of what was done in Italy (and Spain) on the three criticisms of school in Letter to a Teacher (1967): more than teaching, it is a court (with exams and grades); that prevents those of lower class and culture from reaching secondary school; without teaching what is necessary to be sovereign citizens, which is a feeling, rather than a right, the refusal to inhabit a world decided by others and wanting to participate in the decisions. Today, liberalism increases meritocracy and school classism against the poor; before, it did it by repeating grades; now, by dropping out and “school dispersion” (14% in Italy) of troublemakers and foreigners. Sovereignty requires 3 things: to know how to understand reality, to criticize it and to know how to propose changes. A good method is the critical reading of the press. And, in the face of today's wars, in addition to criticism, the conviction that weapons do not solve conflicts. The future of humanity is at stake.