Francesco Feliziani , director of the Regional School Office , is the commissioner appointed by the Ministry of Education to proceed with the merger of nine schools in Sardinia . This would have been the responsibility of the Region, but it (like Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, and Umbria) refused. " I will apply the common-sense guidelines: no monster schools ," Feliziani assures, recalling that " a school cannot have fewer than 400 students " and that there are situations on the island that are "bordering on ungovernable." The commissioner recalls the commitments made in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP): "The reduction in size is a condition imposed by the European Union ," and reassures the Sardinians: " No country will lose its schools; there will be no job cuts ."
The unions are critical: CGIL, CISL, and UIL call the appointment of a commissioner a serious and top-down decision, emphasizing that school dropout rates on the island reach 14.5%, a figure that should encourage strengthening the education system. The CGIL calls it a "very serious" decision and one that undermines regional autonomy ; the CISL calls for "a plan that takes into account the specific characteristics of the territory"; the UIL calls the measure "unacceptable" and based solely on numbers.
Regional Council President Piero Comandini also spoke on the issue, calling for a differentiated school system: "Defending Sardinia's unique characteristics is not a clash with the state, but rather a defense of communities and the right to education."
