Italy: Candle-lit vigil pays tribute to 'death of public education' in Rome

Dozens of teachers, students and union members held a vigil to represent the death of the Italian public education system in front of the Italian parliament in Rome on Tuesday. The protest was in response to Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's "La Buona Scuola" or "Good School" public education reforms which would give pay increases to teachers based on merit, give permanent contract to 100,000 substitute teachers by September and increase the required number of unpaid internship hours high school students must complete. The sit-in was organised as union authorities and government representatives held talks on education reform within the Parliament. The meeting reportedly brought no concrete results.