As millions of pupils in Italy prepare to return to school, unions and head teachers warn that classrooms are still too hot to teach in.Italy's new school year gets under way next week, with pupils returning between 7 and 17 September depending on the region, but concerns over classroom temperatures are once again overshadowing the return to lessons.  Term dates and holiday breaks continue to vary considerably by region, reflecting Italy's decentralised system in which regional authorities set the calendar within national parameters.   When do schools reopen? The autonomous province of Bolzano is the first to open its doors after the summer holidays, on 7 September, with schools reopening in Valle d'Aosta, Veneto and the autonomous province of Trento on 10 September.   On 14 September, it is the turn of students in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Molise, Piemonte and Umbria.   The next day, 15 September, classrooms reopen in the regions of Lazio, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Sicily and Tuscany, followed on 16 September by Abruzzo, Basilicata and Sardegna. Puglia is the last region to reopen schools, on 17 September. Heat concerns In Rome and across the central Lazio region, unions have raised the alarm over school buildings that remain unbearably hot, news outlet RomaToday reports. Cisl Lazio and Cisl Scuola Lazio have requested talks with regional president Francesco Rocca and the regional schools councillor to discuss the state of school buildings ahead of the new term.   The concerns follow a difficult end to the previous school year, when pupils and teachers reported sweltering classrooms in late spring and even during summer state exams.   Southern regions are expected to bear the brunt of the heat, with forecasters warning of a summer-like September across central and southern Italy, while the north stands a better chance of cooler, stormier weather. Ageing school infrastructure A new study by Tuttoscuola of ministry of education data shows that in the 2024-2025 school year, 2,835 out of 39,351 buildings were equipped with air conditioning, equal to just 7.2 per cent.   In Puglia, regional education officials are reportedly considering postponing the start of term altogether, with the idea of pupils giving up long weekends or Carnevale holidays later in the year in exchange for a delayed September opening.   Giuseppe Silipo, head of the regional schools office, said any change would need to preserve the legal minimum number of teaching days, meaning any eventual postponement would simply reshuffle the calendar rather than shorten the year.   The current furore over the lack of air conditioning in classrooms has renewed longstanding criticism of Italy's ageing school infrastructure. Photo credit: Domenichini Giuliano / Shutterstock.com

The current furore over the lack of air conditioning in classrooms has renewed longstanding criticism of Italy's ageing school infrastructure.