Milan Schools Face Budget Crisis: Teachers, Parents and Students Voice Desperate Concerns

The corridors of Liceo Beccaria in the heart of Milan's Brera neighbourhood are bustling as usual, but beneath the surface, anxiety runs deep. With regional education budgets slashed by nearly 12% this fiscal year, students, teachers and parents are united in their alarm about what lies ahead.

"We're managing with outdated textbooks and equipment that should have been replaced five years ago," says Marco Rossi, a physics instructor at the school near Via Brera. "Class sizes have swollen to 32 students—it's impossible to teach effectively." Rossi, who has taught in Milan for eighteen years, describes the situation as unprecedented.

The strain extends across the city. At the Università degli Studi di Milano's campus in the Città Studi district, graduate students face lengthening waiting lists for thesis supervision. "I've been waiting four months for a meeting with my advisor," explains Elena Torres, a master's student in environmental science. "The university simply doesn't have enough faculty allocated to handle the student load."

Parents in the Navigli area—traditionally one of Milan's more affluent neighbourhoods—report difficult choices. Tuition at private institutions like Istituto Gonzaga now exceeds €18,000 annually, forcing families to choose between public education or significant financial strain. "We moved to Milan for the schools," says Giovanni Ferretti, father of two attending primary school near Via Torino. "Now I'm genuinely worried about their future in a system that's clearly underfunded."

The broader context is concerning. Lombardy's education spending per student ranks 15th among Italian regions, despite Milan's status as a global economic centre. Infrastructure maintenance has become critical: three schools in the Lambrate neighbourhood require structural repairs, though funding timelines remain unclear.

Last month, the Milan Teachers' Union submitted a detailed report to the City Council documenting facility deterioration, insufficient mental health support staff, and reduced extracurricular programmes. The response has been minimal.

Yet educators and families resist despair. "Our kids deserve better," Ferretti insists. "Milan is capable of so much more than this." Teachers like Rossi continue advocating, while student councils at major institutions plan to present proposals to regional officials next month.

The situation crystallises a broader tension: as Milan positions itself as a global education hub, its foundation—public schooling—quietly struggles. Unless significant investment follows, community members warn, the city risks losing the very advantages that drew families here in the first place.

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