GENOA – Hundreds of students at the universities of Genova and Salerno are being blocked from travelling abroad as part of the Erasmus scheme, causing widespread anger among the student population.
The Erasmus scheme is a project run by the European Union that facilitates university students to take a year out from their studies to spend either working or studying for a year in another European country. For many it is a once in a lifetime opportunity to spend such a long time abroad, immersed in the culture of the another country.
During the initial outbreak of coronavirus in March, there were around 13,000 Italian university students abroad with the Erasmus scheme, around half of whom, despite the pandemic, or perhaps because of it, didn’t want to return.
However, around 300 hundred students at the university of Genova are now not being allowed to depart due to worries about them not being able to return should Covid not improve. The university issued a statement in November, “Considering the the evolving health situation on a European and global level, and the recommendation of Farnesina to avoid foreign travel if not for strictly essential reasons, at the moment international travel, is suspended for students, teachers and administrative staff, both arriving and leaving, until new measures are taken.” The University of Salerno has taken the same decision.
Students have sent furious appeals to the Ministry of Education and of Foreign Affairs, however, in regards to Erasmus, the University rectors have fulls control.
The University of Trieste released a statement saying it was up to the students to consider the benefits and risks of travelling abroad, while most other Italian universities are encouraging their students to go.
INDIRE, a national institution for educational development, which works closely with Erasmus, have said, “we still don’t actually know how many will leave. It will be surely less than last year. It is clear that if the vaccine improves the situation, the first that will resume their travels will be the students.”
Erasmus, with INDIRE and the ‘garagErasmus’ foundation have launched “The + of Erasmus”, an virtual educational project that will help international students in Italy, aiming to “transform a difficult period into an opportunity to improve the experience of the Erasmus programme, making it more digital, inclusive and sustainable from an environmental point of view.”

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