Italy education ministry changes teaching hour allocations

New regulations introduced by the Italian Ministry of Education for the 2026/27 school year are causing concern regarding the allocation of teaching hours. Under recent ministerial notes and orders, schools are now permitted to assign up to six additional hours to teachers who already hold a full position, potentially increasing their weekly load up to 24 hours.

Critics argue this practice disadvantages precarious or temporary teachers. By assigning these surplus hours to permanent staff through a preventive availability check, the hours are diverted away from the pool typically used to provide service and seniority points to temporary staff. This shift may limit the ability of temporary teachers to accumulate the necessary service time required for permanent stabilization.