LOWER STAGES OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION. The system of education in Italy provides for specialization at an early age; hence pupils looking forward to industrial and technical pursuits generally enter upon courses of instruction having that end in view as soon as they have secured the certificate of primary studies (maturità), which is generally obtained at about 11 years of age. The courses of technical instruction are provided in schools of two grades, which are, however, correlated with each other. The lowest of these is termed simply technical school (scuola tecnica), and the second, technical institute (istituto tecnico). The lower school has a three-years' course corresponding to that of the higher primary schools of France having vocational sections, or to the lower classes of modern secondary schools in Europe. The higher school (istituto tecnico), which a pupil enters at about 14 years of age, has a four years' course corresponding to that of the upper classes of the modern secondary schools of Europe. The two schools represent, therefore, two grades of technical instruction, each of which has a distinctive purpose. The courses of study, however, are so coordinated that a pupil may pass from a technical school to a technical institute and thereby complete a course of seven years having the same relation to the highest order of technical institutions that the classical secondary schools (ginnasi and licei) bear to the universities. The courses of instruction in the preparatory schools are adapted to pupils looking forward to any one of the three great industrial pursuits, i. e., agriculture, commerce, and technical industries. For the present purpose it will suffice to consider the preparatory course having a technical orientation. Curricula for the technical school and technical institute-Hours per week. 1 Contributed by W. W. Sniffin, specialist in the Romance languages. Students who complete the course of the technical school and pass the final examination which entitles one to the "licenza," may enter the technical institute. The latter course leads directly to the preparatory department of a higher technical institute. HIGHER TECHNICAL INSTITUTIONS. Higher technical education in Italy is the province of independent schools and technical institutes annexed to the universities. These institutions have their distinctive aims and characteristics, but are practically uniform as regards their standards of admission and graduation. The higher technical institute of Milan is here selected as representative. R. ISTITUTO TECNICO SUPERIORE DI MILANO. Official character and scope.-The Instituto Tecnico Superiore of Milan was established by royal decree in 1862, and in common with the royal universities and remaining special schools of the same order, pertains to the ministry of public instruction. It derives its support from the State and the Province and commune of Milan and has been the subject of special consideration on the part of the Government, as indicated by successive decrees extending or perfecting its operations. Of these the latest bears date 1897. The purpose of the institute, as officially stated, is to provide the highest order of instruction for candidates for the professions of civil engineering, industrial engineering, and civil architecture, and for teachers of the exact sciences in the technical institutes. The institute comprises two preparatory sections, one for the course in engineering, the other for the course in architecture. The main department consists of three technical divisions (scuole di applicazione) as follows: Civil engineering, industrial engineering, and civil architecture. Each of these divisions offers a three years' course of specialized instruction. A normal section, having a four years' course, prepares teachers of physics, chemistry, and natural sciences for the technical institutes (secondary). There are also associated with the institute important auxiliary establishments which will be considered separately. Entrance requirements. Students who have successfully completed the course of instruction in a technical institute may be admitted to the preparatory section of the superior technical school of Milan, which completes the training in mathematics and physics required for entrance upon the specialized departments. Candidates may be admitted directly into these departments provided they have spent at least two years in a university faculty of physical, mathematical, and natural sciences, or in the preparatory course of higher technical institutions corresponding to that of Milan. The mention in the catalogue of the institutions referred to indicates the regional influence possessed by the higher school of Milan. Among those mentioned are the school of Padua, the Polytechnic of Turin, and the higher naval school of Genoa. The attractions of the institute of Milan are increased by the associated laboratories and special institutes of private foundation. For instance, the electrochemical school not only admits students of the royal school of Milan, but offers inducements to other students, in particular to Armenians who have completed the secondary studies in the Armenian Liceo Tecnico "Moorat Raphael" of Venice, or the technical courses of the Istituto Forestale Vallombrosa. The cases of students from foreign schools who apply for admission to the technical institute of Milan are decided by the council of professors upon consideration of the foreign diplomas which candidates must present at least a month before the opening of the school. The school year begins November 3 and ends June 30. No registrations are permitted after the beginning of lessons. In order that diplomas and other documents issued abroad may be recognized in the Kingdom of Italy they must be viséd by the royal Italian consul in the respective foreign States. The signature of the royal consul must then be authenticated by the minister of foreign affairs in Rome. In the scholastic year 1913-14 there were 949 students, representing nearly all the Provinces of Italy and including 52 foreign students. The faculty for the same year numbered 96, divided as follows: Ordinary professors, 13; permanent and extraordinary professors, 2; extraordinary professors, 4; instructors (incaricati), 21; free docents, 26; and assistants, 30. Fees, examinations, etc.-The total fees for each student in the preparatory schools vary from 193.10 lire1 to 283.10 lire; in the Scuole di Applicazione, from 213 to 473 lire, and in the normal school from 148.10 to 378 lire. These figures include small laboratory fees. As prescribed by law and approved by the royal decree of August 9, 1910, the tuition fees to be paid by each student are as follows: Matriculation fee, 75 lire; annual tuition fee-preparatory school and schools of application, 165 lire; normal school, 125 lire; diploma fee, 100 lire; Carlo Erba Electro-Technical Institute, annual tuition fee 133.10 lire; School of Electro-Chemistry, annual tuition fee, 143.10 lire. The tuition fees for foreign auditors amount to 20 lire for each course. The annual supertax for special examinations is 20 lire; for examinations for the laurea or final diploma, 50 lire; for the repetition of a special examination, 10 lire, and for the repetition of an examination for the laurea, 50 lire. Provision is made by which students of unusual promise but of limited resources, including foreign students under certain conditions may be relieved of a portion of the tuition fees. Courses of instruction. The preparatory sections have a two years' course; the subjects of instruction and the distribution of time among them are shown in the following table: The courses of instruction in the specialized departments (scuole di applicazione) of the institute cover three years, divided each into two semesters. The subjects and the number of semester hours a week given to each are shown in the following table: |