The Immigrants Are Wiser

Rome's La Repubblica reported yesterday that "Italy's clandestine workers are more educated than Italy's students."

A recent study by Milan's Bocconi University revealed that between the ages of 25 and 64, 41.1% of clandestini have a high school education, whereas only 33% of Italians in the same age range do.

Mandatory education in Italy runs from age 3 to 14, ending after successful completion of 3 years of media scuola inferiore. Scuola media superiore is the next step, although it not be compulsory, and it runs from roughly ages 14 to 17.

La Repubblica is quick to point out, however, that this is "a sample, not a statistic."

Carlo Devillanova, the researcher who led the study at Bocconi University, notes that immigrazione clandestina is a "brain drain" on the immigrants' countries, and in Italy it immediately becomes a "brain waste", due to the fact that "their competencies are not properly utilized in Italy."

Unfortunately, for the immigrants and for Italy, Devillanova says "the Italian economy seems to be little interested in the immigrants' qualifications."