The miracle of goodwill in Sassari . In Ottava , a small village a few kilometers from the capital of Sassari, the first-grade class for 2026-2027 has been formed . This is no small feat, as the school has had several gaps over time due to a lack of required enrollment. This time, to achieve this miracle, which came after three months of discussions, a task force was formed. The task force consisted of principal Laura Neri, who heads the Li Punti Comprehensive Institute, the Provincial School Office, which recently approved the initiative, and the civic energy of the families in the village and its committee. This is, unfortunately, a very Sardinian story, and not only that, partly due to the depopulation that is slowly emptying the classrooms of small towns, but also to changing family habits. "The number of children in Ottava is significant," the principal reports, "but many parents didn't enroll their children because there was no full-time school." Which, starting next school year, will instead be 8:20 am to 2:20 pm, including school lunch, thanks to an agreement with the Municipality of Sassari.
"The enrolled children are all from Ottava," says the principal , the primary point of contact for the 10 IC buildings, including the one in the village, where 160 teachers teach and 1,200 children, including those from Villa Gorizia, another context sometimes at risk. Around 40 children are in the classes trained in Ottava, where four teachers work, and there are also teachers for inclusion. "A number that, with full-time, will increase."
Hiring, school buses, meals—everything is interconnected in the collective effort to provide a learning horizon for the younger generations and ensure the suburbs don't disappear due to a lack of children. This requires differentiating the educational offerings and making themselves attractive by leveraging their strengths.
"We have a project," says Neri, who has been principal of the Li Punti Comprehensive Institute for four years and previously directed the Villanova Monteleone IC, "related to the exploitation of the green spaces near the school. And the Ottava complex could be more attractive to those who perhaps prefer less chaotic environments." These opportunities are opening up while the future is already being planned, because those who live for school cannot stop. "Now I expect the contribution of the local community and the collaboration of families." To ensure continuity of teaching and, at the same time, of the communities.
