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'The village will die' - Italy looks for answers to decline in number of babies

'The village will die' - Italy looks for answers to decline in number of babies

BBC News4 days ago
Winding down the narrow main street of his north Italian town, Giacomo de Luca points to the businesses that have closed: two supermarkets, a barbershop, restaurants – all with shutters drawn and faded signs above their doors.The pretty town of Fregona at the foot of the mountains is emptying out like many here, as Italians have fewer children and increasingly migrate to bigger places or move abroad.Now the local primary school is at risk and the mayor is worried."The new Year One can't go ahead because there are only four children. They want to shut it down," De Luca explains. The minimum class size to get funding is 10 children."The drop in births and in the population has been very, very sharp."The mayor calculates that the population of Fregona, an hour's drive north of Venice, has shrunk by almost a fifth in the past decade. By June this year there were just four new births and most of the 2,700 or so remaining residents are elderly, from the men drinking their morning prosecco to the women filling their bags with chicory and tomatoes at the weekly market.
For De Luca, closing the school reception class would be a tide-turner: if the children leave Fregona to study, he fears they will never look back.So he's been touring the surrounding area, even visiting a nearby pizza factory, trying to persuade parents to send their children to his town and help keep the school open."I'm offering to pick them up with a minibus, we've offered for children to stay at school until six in the evening, all paid for by the council," the mayor told the BBC, his sense of urgency obvious."I'm worried. Little by little, if things keep going like this, the village will die."
Nationwide problem
Italy's demographic crisis extends far beyond Fregona and it is deepening.Over the past decade, the population nationwide has contracted by almost 1.9 million and the number of births has fallen for 16 consecutive years.On average, Italian women are now having just 1.18 babies, the lowest level ever recorded. That's under the EU average fertility rate of 1.38 and far below the 2.1 needed to sustain the population.Despite its efforts to encourage childbirth, and much talk of family-friendly politics, Giorgia Meloni's right-wing government has been unable to stop the slide."You have to think a lot before having a baby," Valentina Dottor admits when we meet on Fregona's main square, her 10-month-old daughter Diletta cooing in a pushchair.
Valentina gets an allowance of around €200 (£175) a month for Diletta's first year, but just missed out on the government's new Baby Bonus of €1,000 for children born in 2025.There are new tax breaks, too, and longer parental leave.But Valentina now needs to return to work and says accessing affordable childcare is still very tough."There are not many babies, but not many kindergarten [places] either," she says. "I am lucky to have my grandmother take care of my daughter. If not, I don't know where I would leave her."That's why her friends are wary of motherhood."It's difficult - because of work, schools, the money," Valentina says. "There is some help, but it's not enough to have babies."It won't solve the problem."
Self-help schemes
Some companies in the Veneto region have taken matters into their own hands.A short drive down into the valley from Fregona is a big industrial estate filled with small and medium-sized firms, many run by families.Irinox, a blast chiller manufacturer, spotted the parenting problem long ago and decided to act rather than lose valuable workers.The firm joined forces with seven others to create a creche a short walk from the factory floor – not free, but heavily discounted and convenient. It was the first of its kind in Italy.
"Knowing I had the chance to put my son two minutes from here was very important, because I can reach him any time, very fast," one of the firm's finance bosses, Melania Sandrin, explains.Without the creche she would have struggled to return to work: she didn't want to lean on her own parents, and state kindergartens won't generally take children for a full day."There's also a priority list… and there are few, few places," Melania says.Like Valentina, she and her friends delayed having children into their late 30s, keen to establish their careers, and Melania isn't sure she'd have a second baby, even now. "It's not easy," she says.Later childbirth, a growing trend here, is another factor in lowering fertility.All of that is why CEO Katia da Ros thinks Italy needs to make "massive changes" to address its population problem."It's not the €1,000 payments that make a difference, but having services like free kindergartens. If we want to change the situation we need strong action," she says.
The other solution is increased immigration, which is far more contentious for Meloni's government.More than 40% of the workers at Irinox are already from abroad.A map on the factory wall dotted with pins shows they come from Mongolia to Burkina Faso. Barring an unlikely sudden surge in childbirth, Katia da Ros argues Italy – like Veneto – will need more foreign workers to drive its economy."The future will be like that."
End of a school era
Even immigration couldn't save a school in nearby Treviso.Last month, Pascoli Primary shut its doors for good because there weren't enough pupils to sustain it.
Just 27 children gathered on the school steps for a final ceremony marked by an Alpine bugler with a feather in his hat, who sounded the Last Post as the Italian flag was lowered."It's a sad day," Eleanora Franceschi said, collecting her 8-year-old daughter for one last time. From September, she'll have to travel much further to a different school.Eleanora doesn't believe the falling birthrate alone is to blame: she says Pascoli school didn't teach in the afternoons, making life harder for working parents who then moved their children elsewhere.The headteacher has another explanation."This area has been transformed because many people from abroad came here," Luana Scarfi told the BBC, referring to two decades of migration to the Veneto region with multiple factories and plenty of jobs.
"Some [families] then decided to go to other schools where the immigration index was less high.""Over the years, we had lower and lower people who decided to come to this school," the headmistress says, in English, hinting at tensions.A UN prediction suggests Italy's population will drop by about five million in the next 25 years, from 59 million. It's ageing, too, increasing the strain on the economy.Government measures to tackle that have so far only scratched the surface.But Eleanora argues parents like her need a lot more help with services, not just cash handouts, for a start.
"We get monthly cheques but we need practical support, too, like free summer camps for the children," she says, pointing to the three-month school holiday from June that can be a nightmare for parents who work."The government wants a bigger population but at the same time, they're not helping," Eleanora says."How can we have more babies in this situation?"Produced by Davide Ghiglione.
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Australian supermarket olives taste test: ‘I want to draw a still-life painting of these'
Australian supermarket olives taste test: ‘I want to draw a still-life painting of these'

The Guardian

time21 hours ago

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Australian supermarket olives taste test: ‘I want to draw a still-life painting of these'

Imagine the best and worst olive. Take a second. Maybe close your eyes to immerse yourself in the exercise. What does the best olive look like? How about the worst? What is the texture of the best olive? How does the worst olive taste? I ask myself questions like this before every taste test, a mental exercise to help calibrate all the scores I'm about to give. But sometimes there are surprises, things so exceptionally good, bad or different they exist beyond the imagination. Things I thought weren't possible in a supermarket product or maybe at all. This taste test was full of them. The taste test was done blind over multiple rounds, each featuring whole olives of a different ripeness – green, purple and black. The tasters – 15 friends – tasted 22 olives (some pitted, some not), scoring each on appearance, texture and taste. I ate about 55 olives in 90 minutes. So, that best and worst olive you imagined: you probably came close with the best. 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Knowsley primary 'one of happiest schools ever visited' by Ofsted
Knowsley primary 'one of happiest schools ever visited' by Ofsted

BBC News

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  • BBC News

Knowsley primary 'one of happiest schools ever visited' by Ofsted

Inspectors have described a Merseyside primary school as "one of the happiest" they have ever Primary School in Huyton, Knowsley, has been recognised by Ofsted for ensuring that "kindness is lived out in every aspect of school life".It was also rated "outstanding" for the first time following the inspectors' visit in school's head teacher, Tony James, said: "We sell ourselves as doing our very best for the community and if someone wants to come along and say that we're 'outstanding', that's brilliant." He added: "It's every little thing that you do - every little decision, every choice that you make, the culture that you establish, the expectations that you have, the value that you place on your children and your families."All of those little bits culminate and come together." The school, on Willoughby Road, was described by Ofsted as a place "where pupils flourish".It noted: "The school's value of 'kindness' is lived out in every aspect of school life."Pupils enter school full of smiles and eager for the learning that each new day brings. "They benefit from close relationships with staff, who know them and their families well. Pupils feel safe and happy here."The report also said children enjoy learning "and strive to meet exceptionally high standards... As a result, pupils achieve remarkably well. Behaviour in and around school is impeccable."Knowsley Council's cabinet member for children's services, David Lonergan, described the Ofsted report as "fantastic".He added: "It is very clear that pupils enjoy coming to school to learn and prosper and that all school staff – leaders, teaching staff and governors – play an integral role in helping pupils to thrive. Well done to you all!" Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.

I'm a former teacher and these are the three gifts to avoid giving at the end of the year - and the one I kept my entire career
I'm a former teacher and these are the three gifts to avoid giving at the end of the year - and the one I kept my entire career

Daily Mail​

timea day ago

  • Daily Mail​

I'm a former teacher and these are the three gifts to avoid giving at the end of the year - and the one I kept my entire career

As the school year draws to a close, grateful parents across the country are scrambling to pick the perfect thank-you gift for their child's teacher. Many will gift flowers and chocolates to their children's class teacher as a thank you for their hard work - but certain gifts should be avoided, according to one former teacher. Damon Culbert, who worked in a primary school for years, told Femail small, meaningful gifts are the best way to go to make a teacher feel 'appreciated, and even encourage them to stay another year'. 'My favourite gift wasn't expensive; it was a short video from one of my pupils saying thank you. I still have it today,' Damon, who According to him, the best gifts are personal. A heartfelt note or a small item that shows the teacher was really seen can make a big impact. 'A personalised gift from the whole class could cost as little as 30p per parent, and it's something the teacher will treasure forever.' Despite good intentions, some gifts miss the mark - including alcohol. 'While it might seem like a safe, grown-up gift, alcohol can actually be a bit of a gamble,' he said. 'Not every teacher drinks, and with the rise of sober-curiosity, many are cutting back or avoiding it altogether. 'Unless you know for sure that your child's teacher enjoys a particular drink (and you've seen them enjoy it), it's probably best to steer clear. 'For some, it can feel a bit inappropriate, especially in a professional setting. 'More often than not, bottles end up re-gifted or collecting dust in a cupboard. A thoughtful alternative will always go down better.' He added that food gifts can also be risky. 'Between allergies, dietary preferences, and the sheer volume of sweet treats teachers receive at the end of term, a food gift will often go uneaten. 'Unless your child knows a teacher's favourite snack or brand, it's unlikely to land in a meaningful way. 'It's not that we don't appreciate the gesture, but a personal touch will always stand out more than a generic box of chocolates. 'Something like a cookbook or a jar of homemade jam can feel far more thoughtful.' Finally, children should avoid gifting any expensive brands. 'I completely understand that parents want to show how much they appreciate their child's teacher, but expensive items from luxury brands can sometimes have the opposite effect,' Damon said. 'They can make teachers feel awkward, or even guilty, especially if they know other families may be struggling financially. 'A gift that costs a tenth of the price but shows genuine thought or a personal connection will have ten times the impact. 'Gifts like a class-made memory jar or a framed thank-you note are far more meaningful and far more likely to be kept.'

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