Page 10 - ELG1704 Apr Issue 446

NEWS

Massimiliano

The Polytechnic of Milan
Ruling out maintain an international out-
By: Claudia Civinini next, but it would still try to

said that in a technology-orient-
In recent years, Italy has been look and ‘abide by the law’. She
making itself more appealing ed university, English-medium
to the international student courses give students access not
market. English-medium degree English only to international employ-
courses are springing up all ment opportunities but also to
over the Boot, from Ca’Foscari subject-specific terminology.
University in Venice to Federico ‘I teach advanced computer
II University in Naples, and architectures, and in Italian I
even in Florence, known as the simply don’t have the words to
‘cradle of the Italian language’. teach it,’ she said.
However, a ruling of the Italian medium? International student num-
Constitutional Court could bers at the university have also
spell stormy times for all these gone up since the introduction
institutions. of the English-medium courses
The court has said that – now 24 masters in English,
English-medium courses must and engineering university, by threatening freedom of 13 bilingual and one bachelor
now also be offered in Italian, decided to offer all postgraduate teaching and the primacy of the programme. In the academic
and universities will only be able and PhD programmes only in Italian language. It could also year 2012–13 the proportion of
to offer single units taught solely English from 2014. prevent non-English speakers international students was at
in English if the subject matter A group of lecturers from the from accessing education, it said. about 17 per cent, while it now
requires it. The ruling prompted polytechnic appealed against the However, in the latest ruling, hovers at an impressive 30.
one university vice-chancellor decision to Italy’s Regional Ad- Italy’s Constitutional Court Dr Sciuto said that the
to say that Italian simply ‘didn’t ministrative said the law university was not unique in its
have the words’ to teach some Tribunal, ...in Italian I simply allowing course offering and that other
technical courses and that which found don’t have the words English-only institutions offered similar cours-
teaching in English had become in their courses did es in Italian, so non-English
vital to what they offer. favour, and to teach it. not conflict speakers were not cut off from
The ruling comes as many the uni- with the learning opportunities. She also
universities across Europe versity was constitution suggested that the move to Eng-
debate the benefits and dis- forced to give course co-ordina- – but they should be run along- lish medium was widely support-
advantages of offering courses tors the freedom to choose the side similar courses in Italian. ed by the university staff, and
in English (see page 11 story), language of instruction. The issue is now back in the that the appeal to the Regional
which can attract legions of But when the polytechnic’s hands of the Council of State for Tribunal in 2013 was signed by
international students. management appealed to a the final ruling. only about 100 lecturers out of a
The news from Italy is the higher body, the Council of The polytechnic’s vice-chan- total 1200.
latest chapter in a story which State, it found that teaching in cellor Dr Donatella Sciuto told The Italian Ministry of
began when the Polytechnic of a language other than Italian the Gazette it was difficult to Education said that it would not
Milan, a prestigious technology could infringe the constitution predict what would happen comment on this issue.

10 April 2017

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