Italian AFAM professors demand equal legal status with university faculty

Antonio Bisaccia, President of the National Council for Higher Artistic and Musical Education (CNAM), argues for the full legal equalization of AFAM (Higher Artistic, Musical and Choreutic Education) professors with university professors in Italy. The article, published on Artribune, traces the constitutional and legal basis for equalization under Article 33 of the Italian Constitution, which grants autonomy to universities and academies. Despite Law 508/1999 recognizing AFAM institutions as part of the higher education system, their faculty remain under a contractual regime rather than the public-law status enjoyed by university professors. This results in lower pay and weaker independence guarantees. Bisaccia cites a 1983 Constitutional Court ruling that defines a university by the inseparability of teaching and research, arguing AFAM institutions meet this standard. He proposes amending Article 3 of the Consolidated Text on Public Employment (D.Lgs. 165/2001) to extend public-law status to AFAM professors, ensuring equal treatment and safeguarding academic freedom. The article references a 2021 conference on university autonomy where scholars Emilio Castorina, Giuseppe Valditara, and ANVUR President Antonio Uricchio discussed the link between autonomy, research, and faculty status. Bisaccia warns that continued discrimination risks becoming normalized and calls for a parliamentary delegation law to implement the reform.