PNRR, Schools, Gaps: Agenda Sud and Agenda Nord Strengthened with Over One Billion Euros

A key step towards fair and inclusive schools: the Ministry of Education and Merit (MIM) has announced a major expansion of the Agenda Sud and Agenda Nord plans, allocating a further €500 million to these strategic programmes. The aim is clear: to reduce, in a structural way, the territorial and educational gaps that have divided our country for far too long.

The initiative, promoted by Minister Giuseppe Valditara, aims to turn schools into a genuine driver of national cohesion. As the Minister stated: “Schools capable of uniting Italy, from North to South, from city centres to the suburbs. No student should feel excluded from the right to a quality education.”

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A Total Investment of Over One Billion Euros

With the recent decrees signed by Minister Valditara, the overall investment in the Agenda Sud and Agenda Nord plans rises to an impressive €1.046 billion. This reflects the commitment to move from one-off interventions to a long-term structural strategy aimed at guaranteeing equal educational opportunities in every corner of Italy.

The new additional resources are split into €252.4 million for Agenda Sud and €248.8 million for Agenda Nord, and will be devoted entirely to strengthening basic skills and to practical initiatives that also provide for the direct involvement of families, recognising their crucial role in the educational journey.

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More Resources and More Schools Involved

At the heart of this expansion is a wider pool of beneficiary schools and increased funding for the schools facing the greatest difficulties.

Agenda Sud: Twice the Support for Schools in Difficulty

The Agenda Sud plan will see an increase in the number of schools involved, reaching a total of 2,164 schools , funded in proportion to their Invalsi data. The most significant aspect is the increase in schools facing the greatest difficulties: these will rise from 245 to as many as 600 and will receive special funding of €150,000 per school (up from €140,000 last year).

Agenda Nord: Targeted Support for Suburban Areas

The Agenda Nord plan is no less ambitious, involving 2,100 schools. As in the South, the schools in the North facing the greatest difficulties that will receive special support will rise from 245 to 600, each receiving funding of €150,000, thereby strengthening educational work in the most peripheral areas and those most at risk of early school leaving.

This decision underlines the commitment to act decisively wherever signs of learning difficulties emerge, ensuring that every student, regardless of where they come from, has access to an education of the very highest quality.

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Operational Details: Phase 2 of Agenda Sud Gets Under Way (D.M. no. 106/2025)

In this context of strategic expansion, Phase 2 of the Agenda Sud initiative has also been launched, as set out in Ministerial Decree (D.M.) no. 106 of 29 May 2025, which makes available to schools up to €100,000.00 for an integrated action against early school leaving.

Core Objective of Phase 2: Integration and Prevention

Funded projects must integrate two key areas of intervention:

• Improving School Environments: Turning physical spaces into more welcoming, inclusive and safe places, including the purchase of new equipment, goods and services to improve the school’s appearance and upkeep.
• Teaching and Tutoring Activities: Organising additional training pathways and tutoring activities to extend school time, with the specific aim of preventing and tackling early school leaving.

Who Can Take Part in Phase 2

Submitting projects is reserved for schools already identified as implementing bodies under PNRR Investment 1.4:

• Lower and Upper Secondary Schools that have already received funding under D.M. no. 176 of 30 August 2023 (Annex 1).
• Schools belonging to the networks identified by D.M. no. 193 of 10 October 2023 and D.M. no. 5 of 11 January 2024.

Financial Plan and Eligible Expenditure (Max €100,000.00)

Reporting is based on actual costs. It is essential to respect the minimum and maximum percentages for each expenditure item:

• Expenditure on goods and services to improve school environments:
  • Minimum 30% of the funding, for equipment and services that improve appearance and welcome.
• Expenditure on training activities to extend school time:
  • Minimum 20% of the funding, for teaching and tutoring activities to combat early school leaving.
• Design and technical/operational costs:
  • Maximum 10% of the funding, for technical and operational staff and publicity obligations.

How to Apply and Deadlines

Projects are managed and submitted exclusively through the “Futura PNRR – Gestione Progetti” platform, selecting the notice “Agenda sud – Fase 2 – Azioni integrate per la realizzazione di ambienti didattici accoglienti e l’organizzazione di attività didattiche e di tutoraggio funzionali a contrastare l’abbandono scolastico (D.M. n. 106/2025)” (Agenda Sud – Phase 2 – Integrated actions to create welcoming learning environments and organise teaching and tutoring activities to combat early school leaving).

IMPORTANT: The final deadline for submitting projects is not specified in D.M. 106/2025, but is published separately. Schools are required to check the closing date in the “Progettazione” (Project Design) section of the platform “Futura PNRR – Gestione Progetti” platform.

Common indicators must be monitored and updated twice a year, using the “Monitoraggio” (Monitoring) function, by the following deadlines:

• 10 January: For the period 1 July – 31 December
• 10 July: For the period 1 January – 30 June