Not only foreign children are being discriminated against in Italy, but also Italians — or at least those who have the misfortune of having parents who moved recently to Veneto, the northeastern region that includes Venice.
The Veneto regional council last week approved a bill that gives priority enrollment in public preschools for the children of those who have lived and worked in the region for 15 years (excluding children with disabilities). All others are put on a waiting list in the hopes that a place will open up for them.
“We believe that priority should be given to those citizens who can demonstrate a serious connection with the territory of our region, either because they have lived there for at least 15 years, or because you have been working for at least 15 years,” he explained councilors Giovanna Negro and Maurizio Conte.
In Veneto there are 238,000 children younger than 3 years old, 1,600 of them foreigners. The new law is expected to be challenged in court.
