Technical education in Italy on the establishment of the public shools (1959 - 1877): the theaching of mathematics

At the time of the Unification of Italy, the Italian Secondary School was undergoing a very difficult period, in particular with regards to the field of technical education. The creation of this branch of education had been welcomed as a fact of remarkable significance for the economic, cultural and social development of the country, but at the beginning, the technical schools proved to be inadequate in providing the training for qualified experts. The lack of a reference model together with inconsistent political actions determined a continual revision of the school system and the syllabuses. In the years between 1859 and 1877 at least seven government measures (taking into consideration only the most significant ones) were recorded with the aim of reorganizing the technical field of Italian education. This situation of great uncertainty gave way to repercussions whilst laying down the foundations for the teaching of mathematics, to which many distinguished scientists and men of learning in high office, had contributed.