The Italian Ministry of Education has issued a directive banning the use of gender-neutral symbols in schools, such as the asterisk (*) and the schwa (ə). These symbols, previously adopted in some contexts to promote inclusivity, are now prohibited in official school documents and educational materials. Authorities state that the decision aims to preserve the grammatical structure and clarity of the Italian language, which inherently uses gender-specific terms.
This policy requires immediate implementation by educational institutions across the country. The directive follows recommendations from the Accademia della Crusca, Italy’s prestigious linguistic authority, which has previously expressed concerns over the impact of non-standard symbols on the language’s integrity. Schools are expected to comply with the guidelines to ensure uniformity in communication practices.
The Education Ministry has confirmed that additional instructions will be provided in the coming weeks to assist schools in the transition. This policy reflects a move to standardize language use in education while addressing linguistic concerns raised by experts.
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