Italian classes renewed

Toronto Catholic schools extend agreement with Centro Scuola

Three years have passed since the last agreement, when representatives of the Centro Scuola e Cultura italiana and the Toronto Catholic District School Board met with each other library at the Columbus Centre. But recently, Centro Scuola director Alberto Di Giovanni met with the school board to renew for another three years the agreement that permits thousands of students of Toronto's Catholic schools to study the Italian language.
There are about 14 thousand children in elementary school (until grade 8) who, in over 60 locations, for two and a half hours a week study Italy, its language, its culture and more and more often, are given the opportunity to visit the country. There they meet other students from across the ocean, to socialize, exchange ideas, while discovering that land their grandparents have told them about. Over the years Italy has changed a lot yet it has retained its rich culture and its charm has been passed down from generation to generation, today with the further boost: the chance to one day work in that language.
"'Made in Italy'" has conquered the world," says Di Giovanni. "We would be short-sighted if we didn't recognize the opportunities that being able to work in the Italian language offers, in business and not only for an indubitable cultural enrichment."
Centro Scuola e Cultura italiana has thus confirmed its precious role as a go-between for the Italian government and Canadian institutions. "Centro Scuola receives funds from Italy that then distributed to institutions to promote the Italian language and culture in Toronto," Di Giovanni explains further. "It is we that consider the local opportunities and decide how to best utilize the financial means assigned to us. The teaching of the language in the schools during regular hours has always been one of our priorities. This is not only for the fact that without our intervention it would be impossible to maintain it, and if it were interrupted, relegating the study of foreign languages to extracurricular hours, Saturdays for example, we would lose 80 percent of the students."
Centro Scuola receives between $250 to 300,000 annually that is used by different organizations to maintain the classrooms, pay the teachers and for the continual updating of teaching material. The participation of the provincial government is minimal, if not non-existent, seeing that since 1977 the amount allocated has not changed, $41 an hour. "Absolutely insufficient," confirms John Carnevale, president of the Toronto Catholic District School Board. "We should soon know the results of a Task Force that has been revisiting the funding formula for the entire Ontario school system. We really hope that things will change, based on a renewed awareness in government that we all stand to gain from the teaching of foreign languages."
For our country, and for this city in particular, where there is a focus on diversity, on the presence of so many races that manage to live together peacefully, the moment has arrived to explore this unprecedented situation in full. In this sense the undertakings of Centro Scuola serve as an example; an fruitful experience that could inspire other ethnic communities.
Since this year, then, a novelty that looks ahead to the future of new generations.
The students that complete these Italian courses receive high school, an incentive for further studies in Italian also at the university level.
There are also study-abroad programmes, for the moment confined to only 500 students, though Di Giovanni confirms that the Centro studi is at work to make it an integral part of the accord. "We have the best contacts in Italy, in the city of Atri, in Abruzzo, for instance, where we could establish a permanent site."

Publication Date: 2002-11-24
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=2040