The Italian School of Asmara (officially ''Istituto italiano statale omnicomprensivo di Asmara'' - ''Scuola italiana di Asmara'') was a government-operated Italian international school located in Asmara, the capital of Eritrea. The school closed in 2020.

History

In 1903, two Italian schools were founded, each with an Italian instructor, to serve the growing Italian

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

population, in Asmara and Keren. The school in Keren later closed. The Asmara school originally served only preschool and grades one to five, but in 1957 added the Scuola dell'Infanzia Montessori, which served ages three to five. In 1975, the school ceased most operations due to the breakout of the

Eritrean War of Independence The Eritrean War of Independence was a war for independence which Eritrean independence fighters waged against successive Ethiopian governments from 1 September 1961 to 24 May 1991. Eritrea was an Italian colony from the 1880s until the ...

, and most of the Italian community left. By 1990, the Montessori preschool school grew to three teachers and four classes. In 2000,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

recognised the school, arranging an agreement that the school be accessible to all temporary

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...

families for low cost. In 2012, the Italian and Eritrean governments agree to jointly manage the school, which had been owned by Italy and run as a private school. , 550 students attended the school. The school closed in 2020.

Divisions

There were three divisions: * A preschool, * A combined elementary and junior high school, ). ** Scuola Elementare " Buonarroti" ** Scuola media " A. Volta" * Liceo Sperimentale "G. Marconi" or the Liceo italiano di Asmara ()"Scuole Italiane"
( ).

Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation ( it, Ministero degli affari esteri e della cooperazione internazionale or ''MAECI'') is the foreign ministry of the government of the Italian Republic. It is also known as the Farnesin ...

. Retrieved 29 October 2015. . 9/21: "Liceo Sperimentale Statale Italiano" – ''Statale'' means of the state, meaning the Italian state. The high school started operations in the 1935–1936 school year. It started as the Martini four-year state scientific senior high school. It was temporarily converted to a classical high school in the 1937–1937 school year but it reverted to its scientific high school status in the 1955–1956 school year. It became a five-year school in the 1986–1987 school year through a resolution of the academic board and the approval of the

(MAE)."Liceo Sperimentale"
( ). Scuola Italiana di Asmara. Retrieved 28 October 2015. As of 2015, 85% of the high school's 330 students were Eritreans, with other nationalities making up the remainder. Previously, its students were almost entirely

Italians.

Demographics

When the school was founded in 1903 it almost wholly served the children of Italian nationals. Following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the number of native Eritrean students steadily increased. In the 1956–57

school year A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compul ...

, Eritrean students made up 17% of the student body, with Italians making up 83%. As of 2015, native students represented 84% of the school, Italians or other

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

ans 14%, and children of temporary expatriate workers, as per the Italian agreement with the school, made up 2%. The preschool was 80% Eritrean and 20% Italian or other European.

References

External links

* , the school's official website *
Scuola italiana di Asmara: ecco l’accordo tecnico
" Federazione Lavoratori della Conoscenza CGIL (FLC). 26 September 2012 {{Coord missing, Eritrea 1903 establishments in Africa 20th-century establishments in Eritrea Buildings and structures in Asmara Educational institutions established in 1903 Elementary and primary schools in Eritrea International schools in Eritrea Italian international schools in Africa Private schools in Eritrea Montessori schools

History

Divisions

Demographics

See also

References

External links