Roberta Cecchini is 55 years old, has two degrees and is qualified for eight competition classes. Since 2008 he has taught art history in schools in Rimini and the province, where he comes first in all the rankings. Despite this, after 18 years and 13 different institutes, he has still not obtained a permanent contract. His story fits into the context of school precariousness in Emilia-Romagna, where according to trade unions the fixed-term employment rate stands at around 30%. His story is told on Corserasigned by Daniela Corneo.
Always surpassed by someone
After a debut in a private school, Cecchini worked on support before focusing on ordinary and extraordinary competitions. In 2018 she failed the extraordinary test by two points, while in the ordinary competition of 2020 she returned to the merit rankings. In 2023 she was eligible for the Pnrr 1 competition, but the scrolling of the lists never began. In 2025, with the Pnrr 3 competition, it was overtaken by younger teachers driven by the scores of their academic qualifications, despite having no teaching experience.
Mother’s money to keep going
Every year, in June, the contract expires and the salary stops. Cecchini applies for Naspi, whose subsidies arrive in July. To cover summer expenses he uses his savings and the 500 euros of help provided by his elderly mother. Over time she looked for other jobs: she sent her CV to a supermarket, being rejected due to too many qualifications, and worked as a cleaner to support her family.
The swirl of schools
Temporary employment also affects students’ educational continuity. In eighteen years of teaching Cecchini has worked in thirteen different institutes, returning to some of them in different years. At the end of the school year, he leaves the paths he has started with his students pending, knowing the new destination only at the end of August.
The journalist asks her if she has ever thought of writing to the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella. “I thought about writing to everyone, but then what’s the point if the rules of engagement remain these? The unions tell me that I will have the role, but no one knows when. I have the right to have a decent pension. And the incredible thing is that I still believe in public schools and I love this job very much, so I continue to train and study even at my own expense”, concludes Cecchini.