UAAR invites approximately 5,000 school principals to adopt Alternative Activity textbooks and will donate the books to the remaining classes.
Alternative Activity textbooks are not yet a guaranteed right in Italian schools, but things are changing. Thanks to the “Books for Those Entitled to Them” campaign, which the Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics launched again this year, a growing number of state primary schools have chosen to adopt the textbook for the Alternative Activity program. During the 2024/25 school year, 932 of them were chosen out of a total of 15,983. Compared to the 2023/24 school year, this figure has risen from 3.7% to 5.8%: a significant increase, but the emergency remains. These results were achieved thanks to the awareness-raising efforts that UAAR undertakes each year, sending a letter to the principals of comprehensive schools and educational departments (4,831 this year).
By the second ten days of May, the Teachers’ Council must approve the adoption of the textbooks for the 2025/26 school year. In primary schools, by law, textbooks are provided free of charge to families, provided that the Teachers’ Council approves their adoption during this period. For schools that finally choose Alternativa textbooks, UAAR is available to donate the books for the remaining classes (second, third, and fifth). For first and fourth graders, the school must arrange for a coupon from the Municipality. To receive the free books, choosing between Alternativamente (Raffaello Edizioni) or Intorno a noi (Giunti Edizioni), a school official must visit https://www.uaar.it/kitdidattica/ and complete the request form.
“It is urgent”, explains UAAR Secretary Roberto Grendene, “that the teaching staff decide to adopt the textbook for the Alternative Activity to Religious Education (IRC) for all primary school classes, so that equal educational dignity is truly guaranteed. There are no more excuses: several specialized publishers have published volumes that cover the Alternative Activity curriculum for all five years of primary school. It must no longer happen that schools have children without a textbook on the one hand, and children who received one free at the beginning of school on the other. Not to mention that, thanks also to UAAR’s commitment, more and more families are choosing not to avail themselves of Catholic religious education in public schools.”
It is indeed clear that if only the textbook for Catholic religious education is adopted and not the one for the Alternative Activity, a situation of educational inequality will be created to the detriment of those who do not avail themselves of it. It is therefore the school’s responsibility to ensure that even books without the diocesan imprimatur are available. Since 2022, UAAR has supported schools with donations of educational materials (educational robotics kits and, for the past two years, books for the entire primary school cycle), allowing thousands of boys and girls to attend a valuable alternative activity.
“While the Minister of Education and Merit, Giuseppe Valditara”, Grendene concludes, “is distracted by the absurd parental authorization to teach a subject—sexual education—which has been mandatory in civilized countries for years, UAAR is writing to all schools to resolve a clear problem of educational inequality affecting children who attend the alternative activity to IRC. Primary schools will thus finally be able to guarantee the books that students have a right to.”
Press release
