Tuscany is due to receive 1,37 million euro from the Ministry of the Interior to be used for a project promoting the linguistic diversity and civic education of foreign nationals.
According to the Tuscan Regional Minister for Welfare and Vice President, Stephanie Saccardi, the money is intended to aid a project that would require foreign citizens living in Tuscany to ‘learn the Italian language and the basics of civic education, so as to properly promote their active citizenship, regional projects, the enhancement of their cultural and linguistic diversity and to facilitate them in acquiring a residence permit, for which knowledge of the [Italian] language is a fundamental requirement.’
Over the last year, the number of foreigners in Tuscany has increased by 9.4%, noticeably higher than the national average of 8.8%. 21% of the foreign resident population consists of children.
