Ministry of Public Education (Italy)
# Ministry of Public Education (Italy)

The Ministry of Education and Merit (Italian: Ministero dell'Istruzione e del Merito, or MEM) is the government body of Italy devoted to the administration of the national education system.

It was active in three separate periods (1861–1929; 1944–2001; 2006–2008), before being merged with the Ministry of Universities and Research to create the Ministry of Education, University and Research.

The two ministries were re-instated in January 2020.

## History

Set up in 1861 under the Cavour cabinet, it was suppressed on 12 September 1929 by Benito Mussolini's cabinet, and replaced by the Ministero dell'Educazione Nazionale (Ministry of National Education). This name persisted until 29 May 1944 (i.e. until under the second cabinet of Pietro Badoglio), and the second Ivanoe Bonomi cabinet had it revert to its original name (della Pubblica Istruzione).

It remained unchanged until 14 December 1974, when Giovanni Spadolini (then head of government) created the Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali, which took over responsibilities and functions from this and other ministries. In 1988, the Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica also subsumed some of the education ministry's responsibilities. In the first Romano Prodi cabinet the two were merged into the Ministero della Pubblica Istruzione, Università, Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica, then the Ministero dell'istruzione, dell'università e della ricerca (MIUR) in the second and third Silvio Berlusconi cabinets. The two were re-separated in the second Prodi cabinet of 17 May 2006, but then re-merged in the fourth Berlusconi cabinet of 7 May 2008.

## Organization

At its end in 2007, the Ministry consisted of (2007):

* Uffici per la diretta collaborazione del Ministro
* Dipartimento per l'Istruzione
   * D.G. Affari internazionali
   * D.G. Istruzione post-secondaria
   * D.G. Ordinamenti scolastici
   * D.G. Personale della scuola
   * D.G. Studente
* Dipartimento per la programmazione
   * D.G. Comunicazione
   * D.G. Politica finanziaria e bilancio
   * D.G. Risorse umane
   * D.G. Sistemi informativi
   * D.G. Studi e programmazione

## Ministers since 1946

| Name | Period | Cabinet |
| - | - | - |
| Ministro della Pubblica Istruzione |||
| Guido Gonella (DC) | 13 July 1946 – 28 January 1947 | De Gasperi II Cabinet |
| Guido Gonella (DC) | 2 February 1947 – 31 May 1947 | De Gasperi III Cabinet |
| Guido Gonella (DC) | 31 May 1947 – 23 May 1948 | De Gasperi IV Cabinet |
| Guido Gonella (DC) | 23 May 1948 – 14 January 1950 | De Gasperi V Cabinet |
| Guido Gonella (DC) | 27 January 1950 – 19 July 1951 | De Gasperi VI Cabinet |
| Antonio Segni (DC) | 26 July 1951 – 7 July 1953 | De Gasperi VII Cabinet |
| Giuseppe Bettiol (DC) | 16 July 1953 – 2 August 1953 | De Gasperi VIII Cabinet |
| Antonio Segni (DC) | 17 August 1953 – 12 January 1954 | Pella Cabinet |
| Egidio Tosato (DC) | 18 January 1954 – 8 February 1954 | Fanfani I Cabinet |
| Gaetano Martino (PLI) Giuseppe Ermini | 10 February 1954 – 19 September 1954 19 September 1954 – 2 July 1955 | Scelba Cabinet |
| Paolo Rossi (PSDI) | 6 July 1955 – 15 May 1957 | Segni I Cabinet |
| Aldo Moro (DC) | 19 May 1957 – 1 July 1958 | Zoli Cabinet |
| Aldo Moro (DC) | 1 July 1958 – 15 February 1959 | Fanfani II Cabinet |
| Giuseppe Medici (DC) | 15 February 1959 – 23 March 1960 | Segni II Cabinet |
| Giuseppe Medici (DC) | 25 March 1960 – 26 July 1960 | Tambroni Cabinet |
| Giacinto Bosco (DC) | 26 July 1960 – 21 February 1962 | Fanfani III Cabinet |
| Luigi Gui (DC) | 21 February 1962 – 21 June 1963 | Fanfani IV Cabinet |
| Luigi Gui (DC) | 21 June 1963 – 4 December 1963 | Leone I Cabinet |
| Luigi Gui (DC) | 4 December 1963 – 22 July 1964 | Moro I Cabinet |
| Luigi Gui (DC) | 22 July 1964 – 23 February 1966 | Moro II Cabinet |
| Luigi Gui (DC) | 23 February 1966 – 24 June 1968 | Moro III Cabinet |
| Giovanni Battista Scaglia (DC) | 24 June 1968 – 12 December 1968 | Leone II Cabinet |
| Fiorentino Sullo (DC) Mario Ferrari Aggradi | 12 December 1968 – 24 February 1969 24 February 1969 – 5 August 1969 | Rumor I Cabinet |
| Mario Ferrari Aggradi (DC) | 5 August 1969 – 23 March 1970 | Rumor II Cabinet |
| Riccardo Misasi (DC) | 27 March 1970 – 6 August 1970 | Rumor III Cabinet |
| Riccardo Misasi (DC) | 6 August 1970 – 17 February 1972 | Colombo Cabinet |
| Riccardo Misasi (DC) | 17 February 1972 – 26 June 1972 | Andreotti I Cabinet |
| Oscar Luigi Scalfaro (DC) | 26 July 1972 – 7 July 1973 | Andreotti II Cabinet |
| Franco Maria Malfatti (DC) | 7 July 1973 – 14 March 1974 | Rumor IV Cabinet |
| Franco Maria Malfatti (DC) | 14 March 1974 – 23 November 1974 | Rumor V Cabinet |
| Franco Maria Malfatti (DC) | 23 November 1974 – 12 February 1976 | Moro IV Cabinet |
| Franco Maria Malfatti (DC) | 12 February 1976 – 29 July 1976 | Moro V Cabinet |
| Franco Maria Malfatti (DC) | 29 July 1976 – 11 March 1978 | Andreotti III Cabinet |
| Mario Pedini (DC) | 11 March 1978 – 20 March 1979 | Andreotti IV Cabinet |
| Giovanni Spadolini (PRI) | 20 March 1979 – 4 August 1979 | Andreotti V Cabinet |
| Salvatore Valitutti (PLI) | 4 August 1979 – 4 April 1980 | Cossiga I Cabinet |
| Adolfo Sarti (DC) | 4 April 1980 – 18 October 1980 | Cossiga II Cabinet |
| Guido Bodrato (DC) | 18 October 1980 – 26 June 1981 | Forlani Cabinet |
| Guido Bodrato (DC) | 28 June 1981 – 23 August 1982 | Spadolini I Cabinet |
| Guido Bodrato (DC) | 23 August 1982 – 1 December 1982 | Spadolini II Cabinet |
| Franca Falcucci (DC) | 1 December 1982 – 4 August 1983 | Fanfani V Cabinet |
| Franca Falcucci (DC) | 4 August 1983 – 1 August 1986 | Craxi I Cabinet |
| Franca Falcucci (DC) | 1 August 1986 – 17 April 1987 | Craxi II Cabinet |
| Franca Falcucci (DC) | 17 April 1987 – 28 July 1987 | Fanfani VI Cabinet |
| Giovanni Galloni (DC) | 28 July 1987 – 13 April 1988 | Goria Cabinet |
| Giovanni Galloni (DC) | 13 April 1988 – 22 July 1989 | De Mita Cabinet |
| Sergio Mattarella (DC) Gerardo Bianco (DC) | 22 July 1989 – 27 July 1990 27 July 1990 – 12 April 1991 | Andreotti VI Cabinet |
| Riccardo Misasi (DC) | 12 April 1991 – 28 June 1992 | Andreotti VII Cabinet |
| Rosa Russo Iervolino (DC) | 28 June 1992 – 28 April 1993 | Amato I Cabinet |
| Rosa Russo Iervolino (DC) | 28 April 1993 – 10 May 1994 | Ciampi Cabinet |
| Francesco D'Onofrio (CCD) | 10 May 1994 – 17 January 1995 | Berlusconi I Cabinet |
| Giancarlo Lombardi (independent) | 17 January 1995 – 17 May 1996 | Dini Cabinet |
| Luigi Berlinguer (PDS) | 17 May 1996 – 21 October 1998 | Prodi I Cabinet |
| Luigi Berlinguer (DS) | 21 October 1998 – 22 December 1999 | D'Alema I Cabinet |
| Luigi Berlinguer (DS) | 22 December 1999 – 25 April 2000 | D'Alema II Cabinet |
| Tullio De Mauro (independent) | 25 April 2000 – 11 June 2001 | Amato II Cabinet |
| Ministro dell'Istruzione, dell'Università e della Ricerca (MIUR) |||
| Letizia Moratti (FI) | 11 June 2001 – 23 April 2005 | Berlusconi II Cabinet |
| Letizia Moratti (FI) | 23 April 2005 – 17 May 2006 | Berlusconi III Cabinet |
| Ministro della Pubblica Istruzione |||
| Giuseppe Fioroni (PD) | 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008 | Prodi II Cabinet |
| Ministro dell'Istruzione, dell'Università e della Ricerca (MIUR) |||
| Mariastella Gelmini (PdL-FI) | 8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011 | Berlusconi IV Cabinet |
| Francesco Profumo (independent) | 16 November 2011 – 28 April 2013 | Monti Cabinet |
| Maria Chiara Carrozza (PD) | 28 April 2013 – 22 February 2014 | Letta Cabinet |
| Stefania Giannini (SC) | 22 February 2014 – 12 December 2016 | Renzi Cabinet |
| Valeria Fedeli (PD) | 12 December 2016 – 1 June 2018 | Gentiloni Cabinet |
| Marco Bussetti (independent) | 1 June 2018 – 5 September 2019 | Conte I Cabinet |
| Lorenzo Fioramonti (M5S) | 5 September 2019 – 25 December 2019 | Conte II Cabinet |
| Ministro dell'Istruzione |||
| Lucia Azzolina (M5S) | 10 January 2020 – 13 February 2021 | Conte II Cabinet |
| Patrizio Bianchi (independent) | 13 February 2021 – 22 October 2022 | Draghi Cabinet |
| Ministro dell'Istruzione e del Merito |||
| Giuseppe Valditara (Lega) | 22 October 2022 – present | Meloni Cabinet |
