From structural problems to rats in schools, students are taking to Piazza Garibaldi to demand safer schools. The "Money for Schools, Not for War" demonstration is taking place alongside other protests across the peninsula for "No Meloni Day."
Following protests involving several schools in the Cagliari area, at least six hundred boys and girls from various schools gathered at nine o'clock to complain about the conditions of schools in the capital.
Law enforcement officers from the Digos (Special Operations Unit) and Carabinieri (Carabinieri Special Operations Forces) are also present in the square to monitor the demonstration.
"We're here because we want better school buildings so we can study with dignity," explains Jacopo Melis of the Foiso Fois Art High School.
We appeal to schools to resolve the problem as quickly as possible. It's unthinkable that in 2026, we have to go to school terrified of being bitten and infected by rats.
Then, at 9:30, the first firecrackers and trumpets sounded, and the march set off, chanting slogans against the state of school buildings, workplace accidents, and opposing the government. Through the streets of the city center, the first stop was Piazza Costituzione, before moving to the Regional Council building to convey their concerns to Sardinian institutions.
"What we're making today is not just a request to the Ministry of Education, but above all to students, to continue organizing and mobilizing." Maryia Artsiushkevich, from the Foiso Fois art school, speaks before hundreds of students who applaud her words. The march reached the Regional Council building in the late morning, where students' slogans and demands resound beneath the building on Via Roma.
"We want to be heard, because the schools are in disrepair, and that's not normal. This is our first serious demonstration," Maryia continues. The goal is to reach a discussion with regional politicians and demand answers about the conditions of the schools.
At 11 a.m., the students put up signs and posters in the square. Among them, a student carries a photograph of Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara, wearing a pink ribbon and with a failing report card.
Now the students are waiting for a signal from regional politicians, while the protest continues in front of the building on Via Roma.