Lecce Academy students protest 40 vacant teaching positions

Students at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Lecce have released a protest video denouncing the severe disruption of their academic year caused by 40 vacant teaching positions. The crisis stems from the abolition of Co.Co.Co. contracts on July 1, 2019, which affected all AFAM institutions (Accademie di Belle Arti, Conservatories, Dance and Drama Academies, and Higher Institutes for Artistic Industries). A temporary solution was approved on December 12, 2019, via an amendment by Loredana Russo (M5S), granting funding and a three-year contract extension. However, Lecce's Academy failed to meet deadlines: job postings were only published in late January 2020, and the COVID-19 lockdown further halted procedures. Student council president Serena Lotto told Artribune that the lack of guidance and poor online teaching (some instructors used phone, email, or WhatsApp) compounded the problem. Students are refusing to pay the third tuition installment and demand quality education.