Pressed by a petition signed by some of the country's top scientists, and inundated by thousands of protest E-mails and faxes, Italy's minister of education, universities, and research, Letizia Moratti, reconsidered on Wednesday evening (April 28) her position on the teaching of evolution, stating that the theory will be taught starting from primary school.
"The current school reform does not have rigid programs. It features national guidelines that establish the main teaching principles, allowing teachers to adapt the program according to the context and the pupils," Moratti said in a statement.
"It is absolutely false that the ministry banned the teaching of evolution theories in primary and secondary schools. The discussion of Darwin's theories will be included in the education of all students from 6 to 18 years, according to gradual teaching criteria," she said.
To reinforce her point, Moratti also appointed a committee specifically to provide guidelines for evolutionary ...
