Rome (Fides Service) - "Inter-culture and integration in elementary schools: from the point of view of a child immigrant" was the theme of a survey carried out by VIS (Italian group Volunteers for Development) and the Italian Ministry for Education, Universities and Research on the occasion of the UN World Migrants Day on December 18.
The survey was conducted among 1,000 pupils, selected from among 15,000 children who attend 300 elementary schools in Rome and province. According to the survey the foreign children said they were surprised to find their Italian school-mates wanting to know about their country of origin. For the Italian children what makes a child foreign is that he has difficulty with the language rather than his different skin colour. Language then is the identification of a foreign child. The study also shows that on the whole the foreign children are not happy when the teachers call attention to the difference in customs and culture in their countries of origin. They feel embarrassed and uneasy. The survey workers conclude that school is a place of integration as well as a promise for the future, work and social emancipation. A foreign school child is a bridge between his family and Italian society. (Fides Service 19/12/2002)