La scuola «democratica» è ancora una scuola «giusta»? Le tentazioni della meritocrazia

Abstract

The temptation of meritocracy is a fatal disease of the contemporary democratic school system.
When turned into a political principle, meritocracy destroys the democratic spirit and the principle of equality that is essential to keep the civic dimension of education alive. The principle of education for all and that of absolute egalitarianism, on which the democratic school of the twentieth century was built, can no longer support the idea of justice, because today the culture of economics has transformed competition into a core value. In order to find a new civic pact between educated people it is essential to build a culture of merit that will not surrender to the temptation of meritocracy.
Failure at school is a well-studied phenomenon, while little has been said on how
school helps building the feeling of justice that is fundamental to avoid considering democratic society a simple association of interests and egoisms.