Italy reforms high‑school graduation exam, cutting oral subjects to four

The Italian Ministry of Education, led by Minister Giuseppe Valditara, has renamed the traditional "esame di Stato" to "esame di maturità" and introduced a new format for the oral component. Candidates now begin the oral exam with a self‑presentation of their schooling path rather than interpreting a commission‑selected document. The number of teachers involved in the oral exam has been reduced from six to four, and students are examined in only four subjects instead of the previous eight.

The reduction stems from a one‑third cut in the number of exam commissioners and a rule that a teacher can assess a student only in the subject assigned by the ministry at the end of January. Advocates argue the change lightens students' workload, while critics warn it may lower educational standards and limit opportunities for students to demonstrate broader knowledge.

The reform also affects specific curricula; for example, students in the ITES SIA track missed the option to write on Giuseppe Saragat's speech to the Constituent Assembly, reducing the range of topics available for the written Italian test.