Child Well-Being and Right to Education in Sicily. the Legacy of the Covid-19 Pandemic and Current Educational Challenges

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted and intensified socioeconomic inequalities and disclosed the fragility of public policies related to education and child well-being. In Sicily, a region significantly affected by poverty and high school dropout rates, the transition to remote learning revealed critical gaps in upholding the right to education, as mandated by Article 34 of the Italian Constitution and international frameworks such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

This study seeks to analyse the pandemic's impact on the Sicilian educational system by evaluating how effectively the right to education has been protected and assessing the policies enacted to address the challenges posed by the health crisis.

Hence, the main research objective is to investigate how the pandemic influenced the right to education and child well-being in Sicily, focusing on inequalities in educational access and the effectiveness of institutional strategies designed to support children and adolescents during and after the emergency.

The research questions address the management of education in Italy throughout the pandemic, the impact on vulnerable children, and the measures taken to reduce educational disparities.

Using a qualitative approach, this study relies on secondary data analysis from official sources and semi-structured interviews with teachers, school administrators, and social workers from various Sicilian provinces. The sample is balanced to represent different territorial contexts, providing a comprehensive view of educational challenges in urban, suburban, and rural settings.

Ultimately, the study aims to offer a critical reflection on current educational challenges and propose strategies to ensure inclusive and quality education for all children.