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Italy faces teacher shortage as 46,000 vacancies persist
The Italian school system is confronting a severe staffing shortfall. An analysis of the 2026‑2027 school year shows 46,826 teaching posts vacant nationwide, with 58.6 % of those gaps located in the North. Over 150,000 substitute teachers are employed each year to patch the deficiencies.
For the upcoming 2026‑2027 academic year more than 44,000 positions are to be filled, but the Ministry of Education and Merit acknowledges that many will remain unoccupied. The CISL Scuola union has called for a "double‑channel" recruitment model, extending the existing GPS pathway to ordinary teaching contests to stabilise hiring.
Regionally, Basilicata alone is awaiting the appointment of 579 teachers, part of a national total of 46,642 resources required for the new school year. The combined vacancy and recruitment challenges threaten continuity of instruction and highlight a growing north‑south disparity in Italian education staffing.
Entities
Basilicata Region · CISL Scuola · Ernesto Galli della Loggia · INVALSI · Immigrant students in Italy · Italian Ministry of Education · Italian Ministry of Education and Merit · Italian teachers · Ivana Barbacci · Northern Italy
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] A uniform national salary of about €1,400 per month is criticised for being insufficient in high‑cost regions. www.ilriformista.it
- [○ 1 SOURCE] More than 150,000 substitute teachers are employed annually to fill gaps. www.ilriformista.it
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The 2025 national curriculum guidelines do not address integration of immigrant students. www.tuttoscuola.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] 46,826 teaching positions are vacant across Italy. www.ilriformista.it
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Students with immigrant backgrounds constitute about 11 % of Italy’s school population, coming from 191 countries. www.tuttoscuola.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Teachers argue that repeatedly adding more grammar, syntax and math does not address broader educational needs.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] A group of pedagogists compiled a synthesis of previous ministerial documents to guide teachers on linguistic and cultural differences. www.tuttoscuola.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The education minister claimed INVALSI test results confirm the ministry’s approach.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] More than 44,000 teaching positions are available for the 2026‑2027 school year, but not all will be filled. www.ticonsiglio.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Over 150,000 substitute teachers are employed annually to fill gaps in Italian schools. www.ilriformista.it
- [○ 1 SOURCE] 58.6% of the vacant teaching posts are located in northern Italy. www.ilriformista.it
- [○ 1 SOURCE] CISL Scuola proposes a double‑channel recruitment system to stabilise teacher hiring. www.ticonsiglio.com