Literacy and Italian language learning in public and private reception systems. Thoughts and experiences based on P. Freire’s educational theory
Sara Mazzei
In 2015, the Italian government created a secondary reception system (CAS), parallel to the SPRAR public system: but while several studies have been published on the SPRAR system, few have been made on the CAS. Learning the language of the host country is the first step towards social inclusion and, for this reason, we can consider it representative of the work done in reception centres. I will try to account for my experience in teaching the Italian language and culture in a CAS, carried out with reference to the Freirean literacy method, and to compare it with another experience based on the same method. This contribution is an attempt to conceptualise work which is often carried out by operators without any reference to the current scientific debate. It starts with the observation of striking differences in learning outcomes of the Italian language in different centres, which represent the discrimination and inequality experienced by migrants received by low quality centres. It concludes that we need to bring all courses to a minimum quality level and that the Freirean literacy method is suitable for this purpose in the context of reception centres.
Keywords
CAS, literacy, discrimination.
