On April 30, the Piuscuola (More School) office in the Italian capital opened for the integration of students with migrant backgrounds. The initiative is part of the Lumen project and is being funded by the Lazio region (the region surrounding the Italian capital Rome) as part of its participation in the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (FAMI).

An estimated 1,000 school-age immigrants arrive in Rome every year. Piuscuola offers a tutor to facilitate their enrolment, inform families on their rights and duties concerning education, and assist them in the use of an online register with which every student can see their grades, homework, notes from teachers, and communications from their school.

The service can be accessed via telephone on 327 539 5103 and will remain open during the summer to inform users of educational and social initiatives where both adults and children can learn Italian and socialise with Italians.

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Special attention for high school students

Piuscuola is a new initiative but is based on the experience of volunteers who have long engaged in similar efforts. The Discol service, for example, functioned with a small group of volunteers who over the course of 35 months assisted in the enrolment of 630 immigrants that had been rejected by different schools in the Italian capital.

"This experience taught us many things," said Paola Piva, the coordinator of the Scuolemigranti (Schools and Migrants) network. "We were able to map a wide range of situations and list the main issues that hinder the timely registration of new students."

Special attention was given to new students needing to enrol in high school. "Choosing the right direction is a bit difficult for all students, given the variety of offer. However, those who studied in another country find themselves having to reconcile their aspirations with the preparation required by our educational programs," said Piuscuola director Irene De Angelis Curtis.

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Special focus on unaccompanied foreign minors

Unaccompanied foreign minors often find themselves having to choose between studying and working, as after 18 they are expected to be financially autonomous.

"Piuscuola is in communication with institutes already structured for receiving immigrant students and that also offer evening classes. We intend to spread good examples in all high schools," said De Angelis Curtis.

Piuscuola is managed by Centro Servizi Volontariato Lazio as a partner in the Lumen project, led by the Gianni Rodari high school, which is based in Rome's eastern outskirts.

Thirteen other schools as well as the Università degli Studi di Cassino e del Lazio Meridionale are taking part.

"The three-year term of our commitment is enough to start a learning process in the system and to break down cultural and organizational obstacles in a permanent, lasting way before the end of the project," claimed project chief Massimiliano Trulli.