If human capital is entrusted and acknowledged as a key competitive factor for development, universities are essential in shaping skills which will trace a new path of growth.
In this scenario, the reform of the Italian University System, entered into force in January 2011
(Note 1), aims at avoiding wastage of money and resources in universities and to develop governance based on merit and transparency.
According to the former Minister of Education Ms. Gelmini, 'the three year plan of 2010-2012 foresees the end of useless degree courses, of unnecessary remote campuses, of PhDs with a low number of participants, more rigour in the assessment of on-line universities, as well as the enhancement of degree courses in scientific and technological subjects'. Due to the consequent savings, 'greater resources will be given to deserving students experiencing economic difficulties, to support them in the completion of their university course.'
(Note 2)
In brief, more quality, meritocracy, accountability, evaluation and incentives.
Italian university has been the subject of a deep change in the last decades: from the 288,000 students enrolled at the start of the Sixties, to the 1,048,000 enrolled in 1980-1981 and the 1,800,000 of 2009-2010. Participation in the universities of Veneto has also increased: compared to 2000-2001, in 2009-2010 the number of youth enrolled into the universities of the region grew by almost 16 per cent, garnering almost 19,000 new entrants, especially the University of Padua. Higher still is the power of the universities of Veneto to attract foreign students: their share went from 3.1% in 2004-2005 to 3.9% in 2008-2009; Albania is the most represented Country with 25% of the total of registered foreigners, followed at a great distance by Romania (8.3%) and Croatia (6.8%).
The rate of transition from upper secondary school to university increased compared to the previous year, but is still a long way from the levels recorded at the beginning of 2000: from the values of 72.3% and 69% of Italy and Veneto respectively in the academic year 2003-2004, in 2009-2010 it switched to 63.3% and 63.6%; a big deal of work is still to be done to achieve the European objective of raising the proportion of 30-34 years old people who reach graduation to at least 40% over the next ten years: in 2010, the percentage was equal to 18.6% in Veneto, compared 33.6% in the EU27.
In addition, among the most necessary measures, still remains the re-launch of the scientific and technological faculties, as science and technology are synonymous with new opportunities, innovation and competitiveness, but are still rarely chosen by Italian freshmen, although the phenomenon is growing: in Italy, in 2009-2010, 26.8% of enrolled students preferred scientific and technological studies compared to 24.2% in 2002-2003. In Veneto, the students choosing scientific studies at university are 28.4%, equal to over three and a half per cent more than seven years before; at the top is the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region with 30.3%, and the lower value is recorded in Trentino Alto Adige (19%).
(Figure 4.2.1)
However, the fundamental change consists in the creation of a new and more innovative relationship between the educational system and the world of labour; such change requires a delicate reflection on the topic of mobility of university students.
The mobility of students is often hindered by cultural barriers and also serious logistical and financial difficulties. More investment should therefore be made to facilitate student mobility, going beyond the logic of campus multiplication and offering a real possibility of choice, expanding the availability of study grants and accommodation linked to merit, and making financial instruments available to students who want to invest in their own future.
Spending on university education is increasing but still a long way from European targets
Spending on university education in 2008 reached a total of 19,542 million euros, 7.4% more than the previous year in real terms, and the share of GDP destined for the university system increased from 0.76% in 2005 to 0.84% in 2008. The incidence of spending on university education also grew out of overall public spending, which in the same time period went from 1.56% to 1.69%. Despite this, with the purchasing power being the same, in Italy the average expense per student was a little higher than 7,200 euros, i.e. almost 2,200 euros less compared to the average EU27 data and lower still than in France and Germany (11,574 and 12,649 respectively).
In Italy, human resources represent the primary expense item of universities: in 2009, in State-run universities, about 65% of the resources were spent on personnel, of which 41.5% was spent on teachers.
Students also contribute to financing the university through the payment of fees and contributions, which are determined based on their personal economic conditions and the type of course of study they choose.
In 2009, families contributed over 1.6 million euros to financing Italian State-run universities and 536 million euros to private universities, i.e. 20% and 41% respectively more than in 2005.
The average contribution per enrolled student was higher in the Northern regions of Italy, where household income is higher. In 2009, with reference to State-run universities, the region where the students spent the most for university fees and contributions was Veneto (1,381 euro), with 230 euros more than two years before, followed by Lombardy and Emilia Romagna (1,324 and 1,285 euros respectively). Definitely lower is the spending in the Southern regions, where the household income is lower: in Puglia and in Calabria spending per student does not exceed 550 euros. The lowest expenditure was recorded in the Abruzzi (432 euros compared to 623 in 2007), where the students of the University of l'Aquila have been exempted from payment of fees for the next three years, following the earthquake which occurred in April.
(Figure 4.2.2)
Furthermore, in the academic year 2009-2010, almost 29% of the students at State-run universities were totally or partially exempt from payment of university fees: in the North-West this percentage fell to 18%, in the North-East it stood at 22.6%, whereas in the South it reached 43.3%; but this share was affected by the exemption granted to the University of L'Aquila.
Increasing support and opportunities to students for higher education
For the improvement of the human capital, a fundamental role is providing direct financial support to the students and their families to cover enrolment and maintenance costs (such as study grants and loans), providing monetary contributions or other forms of assistance according to specific needs (such as housing or transport services) and concessions for families (family allowances and tax deductions). Certainly, offering quality services to students can help combating possible irregularity in their attending the courses; conversely, the absence of support services can accelerate the decision to abandon university.
Compared with some other European Countries, among which there is still a non negligible discrepancy in the regulation of access to higher education and in the tools offered to help families, in Italy in 2008 spending aimed at supporting the costs of university students was over three per cent more than the average EU27 data and was higher than in France (7.4%), Spain (9.9%) and Germany (18.9%). The Country which spent the most on interventions in favour of students was the United Kingdom, with an incidence on university spending of over 31%.
After having recorded a continual increase, in 2009 spending on interventions to support the right to education for students enrolled in State-run universities fell slightly and reached the level of 535,405 thousand euros. Veneto absorbed 5.8% of the national total, with a spending on each regular student equal to 432 euros, lower than Italian data which was 498 euros.
(Figure 4.2.3)
The main form of intervention granted to families for maintaining their child at university remains the study grant, which absorbs about 76% of the resources destined for subsidies. The national ranking for the amount of money assigned per recipient indicates Emilia Romagna as the region offering the most advantageous study grants (over 3,700 euros per study grant in 2009). Less lucrative is Veneto, which stands at around 2,600 euros per recipient.
Although, just over half of the applications for study grants for university degree courses are satisfied in Veneto, and fortunately the share of study grants disbursed compared to those requested is increasing: in only two years it passed from 41.8% (2007-2008) to 51.2% (2009-2010). The first position goes to Liguria, which satisfies the requests of students entirely, where as in Campania only satisfies 30% of requests.
(Figure 4.2.4)
It is fundamental for a family and for the youth who has just graduated from secondary school and wants to go to university to have the opportunity to find low cost accommodation, especially if the location of the courses is far from home. The Regional Authorities for the Right to Education, and to a lesser extent the universities themselves, usually make accommodation and catering services available to students.
Over the last five years, in Italy the number of accommodation places managed by the regional authorities has continued to grow, and in the academic year 2010-2011 the accommodation offered by these authorities, together with that managed by the universities, reached 42,420 units, corresponding to 24 places available for every thousand enrolled students. The availability of accommodation changes considerably in the different regions, ranging from the 4 accommodation units every 1,000 students offered in Campania and the Abruzzi up to the Autonomous Province of Bozen, where this indicator reaches the maximum value of 242; Veneto is above the national average, as it offers 30 accommodation units each 1000 students.
In 2009-2010, in Italy, 60% of applications for accommodation and contributions for rent were met, with an increase of over 3 per cent compared to two years before. In this case the regional data varies in a remarkable way, from Molise and Piedmont, where 96.7% and 94.7% of requests were satisfied respectively, to Lazio, where only 27.4% of the demand was met. The performance in Veneto was good still, with a share of accommodation units assigned out of those requested equal to 72.5%, over one per cent more than in 2007-2008.
(Figure 4.2.5)
Creating a more efficient system with less decentralised campuses
The idea that the true right to education consists in giving 'capable and deserving' students the opportunity to go to the universities which are more adapted to their ability and inclination, even if far from home, involves investing significantly in study grants and off-site accommodation facilities for students. Consequently, the number of decentralised university campuses should be significantly reduced and the resources thus saved should be reinvested to support the mobility of students and their right to education.
According to the new reform in fact, one of the elements of criticality which undermines the effectiveness of the Italian university system is linked to the proliferation of universities. During the last two decades, the number of universities has significantly increased, and many of them are small and geographically dispersed: in such cases, the cost/benefit ratio and the possibility to offer of real educational opportunities to the students have not been evaluated with due attention and accuracy.
In Italy, the number of municipalities hosting at least one course of study grew from 127 in 2003-2004 to 251 in 2006-2007, and then diminished to 222 in 2010-2011, with 6 units less compared to the previous year and 20 less compared to 2008-2009. In particular, such decrease concerns municipalities were decentralised campuses where created for teaching first level courses.
Of these 222 municipalities hosting at least one course of study, 25.7% also host the main campus of a university, 15.8% are the seat of a faculty (but not of a university) and 58.6% are decentralised campuses where, however, in most cases only educational and training initiatives for the health professions (usually for a fixed number of students that is set at the national level) are carried out based on agreements with the National Health Service.
(Figure 4.2.6)
In Veneto, the municipalities hosting at least one course of study are 18, and over half of them are decentralised university seats and three are being depleted. In particular, the campuses which are being depleted are mostly in the South of Italy, especially in the islands and in Calabria.
... and rationalising degree courses
As shown by the reform, however, a rationalisation of the university degree courses is undoubtedly essential to increase efficiency and quality. The logic is to shift from the proliferation of courses which followed the Ministerial Decree 509/99
(Note 4) and the 3+2 model, to a real assessment of the needs of the students and the world of labour, in order to design an educational offer aimed at the achievement of learning outcomes by the students and at meeting the occupational needs of the territory.
This process of revising the courses of study is already giving the first results, and the number of active courses
(Note 5) present in the national territory is decreasing, especially due to the contraction of three year courses. In 2009-2010 in particular, 5,281 courses were active, i.e. 4% less than the previous year; 51% of such courses were laurea degree courses, 43% were laurea magistralis / laurea specialistica degree courses (i.e. second level degree courses), and 5.3% were single-level courses; to these, 28 degree courses belonging to the old system should be added, now being depleted, which represent 0.5% of the total. In Veneto 322 courses were counted, more than 10% less than in 2004-2005, whereas Lazio and Lombardy were confirmed as the regions with the widest educational offer.