In the afternoon session, the Commission addressed several issues concerning education and schooling. Discussion opened with a report from the State Secretary for Education and Culture, Teodoro Lonfernini, on the trial reorganisation of school hours for middle schools, moving toward a five-day week.
Lonfernini opened the debate by presenting the State Secretariat’s report on the possible restructuring of middle school timetables, making clear from the outset that the goal is not merely to change the school calendar but to rethink San Marino’s educational model in light of the needs of students, families and society. He explained that the working group tasked with the review identified two possible models: the first concentrates teaching activities into five mornings from Monday to Friday, with 30 weekly class periods and Saturdays free; the second keeps the five-day week but introduces 32 periods, requiring a mandatory afternoon session until 4:30 pm and the organisation of a school canteen service. Lonfernini noted that, following its assessments, the State Secretariat favours the first model, arguing that “innovation in schooling should not necessarily be sought by increasing the time students spend on school premises, but by rethinking how that time is used.” He also stressed that a school capable of promoting “interdisciplinary planning, hands-on learning, cooperative work and student initiative can achieve significant results without increasing mandatory teaching hours,” adding that the five-morning solution would help strike a better balance between school, family life, sport, cultural activities and free time. The Secretary clarified, however, that no decision has yet been made, describing his remarks as a contribution to dialogue with the school community and political stakeholders, reiterating that “the preference expressed by myself, by the State Secretariat and by the Department’s team is not intended to close off discussion or pre-empt decisions.” Yet in the closing part of his address, he made the Executive’s leaning explicit, stating that “the option we have leaned toward, and on which we will seek — and I am confident we will find — consensus, is the first model: five days a week until 2 pm, with no afternoon commitment envisaged at this stage.” Lonfernini finally explained that, if adopted, the new arrangement would be trialled for three years, potentially starting in 2027, calling it a sustainable solution consistent with the broader reform of San Marino’s school system.
Carlotta Andruccioli (D-ML) said her group has no objection in principle to a shorter week, recalling that parents had already expressed a preference for this solution in the previous legislature. She urged, however, that the process start from educational objectives rather than the timetable: “I don’t think we should start from the schedule to adapt the curriculum, but do the opposite.” She asked for concrete clarification on how teaching methods, curricula, subjects and instructional approaches would change under the 30-period model, also voicing some doubts about whether students can maintain concentration until 2 pm. Emanuele Santi (Rete) focused his remarks on verifying total teaching hours. After the Secretary’s clarifications, he acknowledged that overall school time remains essentially unchanged, observing that students “instead of attending six days with classes ending at 1 pm, would move to five days ending at 2 pm, while keeping essentially the same 30 effective hours.” He considered this a positive outcome, recalling that Rete’s main concern was to avoid any reduction in teaching hours, but stressed the importance of clarifying how co-teaching arrangements would work and of involving teachers and families in the trial. Marco Mularoni (PDCS) thanked Lonfernini for launching a modernisation process long awaited, urging that inevitable organisational difficulties should not stand in the way, and suggesting that a free Saturday could become an opportunity for sports, cultural and extracurricular activities. While finding the afternoon-session model interesting as well, he judged the five-morning option the more realistic choice for the initial phase of the trial. In the same vein, Barbara Bollini (PDCS) recalled that parents themselves had already called for the elimination of Saturday classes twenty years ago. She argued that the new structure would not diminish teaching quality and believes the two scheduled breaks make a timetable running until 2 pm sustainable. In her view, free afternoons would allow students to devote themselves more calmly to sport, homework and family life. Donatella Merlini (PSD) praised the work carried out by the task force and welcomed the decision to launch a trial, while expressing some reservations about concentrating lessons into five mornings. As a teacher, she noted that the final hour of the morning risks being particularly demanding for students, which is why she believes the effectiveness of the new model should be tested on the ground before drawing final conclusions. Giuseppe Maria Morganti (Libera) also supported the direction taken and said he favoured the first model, believing that San Marino does not yet have the facilities needed to support a genuine full-time schedule. He urged that the reform be seized as an opportunity to rethink middle schooling more deeply, moving beyond a view too narrowly focused on the number of teaching periods. “If school becomes, in the most positive sense of the term, also a place where students feel good, where they enjoy learning, where they grow through engaging, creative educational experiences, then even six hours on the premises become far more manageable.” For Maria Katia Savoretti (RF), there is no principled objection to a shorter week, but the impact on students must be carefully assessed. She noted that the real challenge is not so much making up for lost Saturday hours as ensuring that learning quality remains high during the final hours of the morning. She also praised the approach taken by the State Secretariat, which she said addressed the issue “openly,” without predetermined positions.
In his closing remarks, State Secretary Teodoro Lonfernini thanked all those who had spoken and reiterated that discussion remains open, while clearly confirming the Secretariat’s preference for the five-morning model, which he considers the simplest to implement, not least because middle schools do not yet have canteen facilities. He explained that the proposal stems from the work of technical experts and the study group, and assured that the reform will not lower teaching quality: “The real innovation will be co-teaching and integrated instruction.” The Secretary finally announced the intention to launch a three-year trial through a decree, leaving room for adjustments along the way based on the results that emerge.
State Secretary Teodoro Lonfernini then presented the plan to reorganise coordination roles and management staff within the Department of Education and Culture, describing it as a priority of the school reform. He explained that the current system for selecting coordination roles, based simply on teachers’ availability, is now outdated and must be replaced with a more structured, skills-based model. He then introduced Decree-Law No. 97 of 27 July 2026, already in force, which brings forward certain reform measures by establishing the Extracurricular Activities and Summer Centres Service and the School Wellbeing Service, the latter supported by a multidisciplinary team comprising a psychologist, an educational psychologist and a social educator. Coordination of the new services will be entrusted to system roles selected among tenured teachers through a dedicated procedure. Lonfernini stressed that this is the first step in a broader organisational overhaul, aimed at strengthening educational provision and improving the school system’s ability to respond to the needs of students and families.
In closing, State Secretary Teodoro Lonfernini updated the Commission on the implementation of the motion concerning minors’ use of social networks and digital devices, describing digital transformation as one of the major educational challenges of our time. Drawing on data from the survey on the wellbeing of San Marino adolescents and the international study by the World Health Organization, he highlighted how social media use brings both opportunities and risks, including cyberbullying, the pursuit of online approval and negative effects on sleep quality. Lonfernini noted that San Marino already has tools in place to combat bullying and cyberbullying, but stressed the need to continually update educational policy. He pointed with interest to initiatives launched in various European countries and in Australia. He reiterated, finally, that the aim is not to ban access to the digital world, but to promote more mindful use of technology through collaboration between schools, families, institutions and the wider educational community.
