Vers un nouvel équilibre: l'État et l'école dans le royaume de Naples pendant le decennio francese

In the Kingdom of Naples, the French Decade represents a turning point also in educational policy. The responsibility on public school, that in previous years was confusingly shared among varied institutional subjects, was exclusively appointed to Home Ministry. Primary education, removed from Religious Orders, was consigned to municipalities and became obligatory and free. Secondary education obtained new teachings, which often had a technical profile. Also higher education was completely reorganized: in comparison with the public schools created after the expulsion of Jesuits, the new institutions, that is Collegi and Licei, were more diffused on territory, independent on financial side and provided of articulated curricula. Finally, University had new cathedras, in accord both with the requests of professional word and modern specialization of knowledge. Nevertheless, the recent historiography suggests that law was not completely implemented: the financial problems, in fact, which were exacerbated by the war, compromised the working of new institutions, impeding, in certain case, just the inauguration. Despite these difficulties, however, the reforms changed the relations between citizens and scholastic institutions. The State, aware that public education was a powerful instrument for teaching rules of order, legality and civic participation, expanded its commitment. At the same time, local communities began perceiving the public schools as an indispensable patrimony and exerted, therefore, their efforts to expand it: so, supply and demand of public education reached a different point of equilibrium from that of the Old Regime. My paper is divided in four parts. The first one summarizes the legislation issued during the first two years of French Decade. After I discuss the role that intellectuals, in particular Vincenzo Cuoco, appointed to public education. The third part introduces the most important act in public education matter: the Decreto Organico per la Pubblica Istruzione (1811). Finally, I propose an evaluation of the results, taking cue both from the opinions of Matteo Galdi, responsible of public education sector, and new documentary discovery.