Lattuca (Upi), 'Listening to students, investing in the care of schools'

There is a very important theme that the students are bringing to their protests, namely the right request for care of the places where a fundamental part of their lives takes place, i.e. the schools. The Provinces have responsibility for the construction of high school buildings. Despite the works that we have completed thanks to the Pnrr, respecting the commitments and targets given to us, the school assets continue to be naturally lacking. I think that this element, which is part of the platform that young people bring to the attention of the country, should be answered in the budget law. For this reason we will act as interpreters of these needs, because we believe that we cannot at the same time support the thesis that we want to listen to young people, that we ask them to demonstrate peacefully as the Constitution provides and without violence, and on the other hand not use the opportunity of the budget law, which is the one that has the resources, to give attention. Listening is such if you then also give signs that you have understood and are ready to do something to improve the condition. The president of UPI, the Union of Italian Provinces, Enzo Lattuca, said this while speaking at the ANSAIncontra forum regarding the student protests.

The requirement necessary to allow the Provinces to continue investing in school buildings is 300 million euros per year. We know well that it is not a negligible figure, but it is a figure that would be absolutely within the reach of the budget law of 26 billion euros, Lattuca continued. Just as the resources have been found to abolish car tax, despite the critical economic-financial context, we ask for answers on this too.

Also because we must give continuity to the Pnrr: you cannot have totally renovated schools like the ones we managed to complete and then not have the resources for in-depth maintenance of those buildings that perhaps cannot be replaced, but which need to guarantee minimum comfort conditions. Here, the only resources that are in the Budget Law in its initial version are 150 million for 2028 for cooling: but there are also other needs and above all we cannot wait for 2028 idly without being able to start giving important signals of response.