San Marino

Abstract

The Republic of San Marino (Repubblica di San Marino), situated in the northern part of the Apennine peninsula and surrounded by Italy, has a population of around 32,500. The state language of the republic is Italian, and politics, economy, culture, and everyday life are strongly interconnected with Italy. This is also true for the area of education, which nevertheless has its specific features. The legal basis of the public school system in San Marino is formed by a number of acts, passed by the Grand and General Council (Consiglio Grande e Generale). Among them are the act on basic norms in instruction (norme generali sull’istruzione) and the act on cycles of instruction (cicli di istruzione), both enacted in 1998, and the act on the reorganization of departments and the modification of the structure (Riordino delle Direzioni e modifica della struttura), enacted in 2008. Compulsory schooling of 10 years covers primary and secondary education. Administrative responsibility for the school system rests with the State Office for Education, Culture and University (Segreteria di Stato per l’Istruzione, la Cultura e l’Università).