One of the most popular Italian daily newspapers, la Repubblica, announced that the Italian Ministry of Education will support the internet chess teaching program that will be conducted through the official FIDE online playing platform.
The newspaper cites the numerous studies that prove that playing chess helps kids to excel in school, particularly in mathematics. In addition, the readership is reminded about the EU Declaration that endorses “Chess in Schools” program, the experience of Armenia where chess is compulsory in the elementary schools, and the recent introduction of the teaching program in Spain.
After the dedicated work of the Italian Chess Federation and FIDE Online Arena, the Ministry of Education decided to promote a joint public-private project to introduce virtual classroms in the schools.
In the first phase 350 Italian schools will be included in the project. The Chess Federation has already trained 700 teachers to provide lessons through the Junior Arena, the new feature that the FIDE Online Arena is proud of.
Carlo Stellati, CEO of Premium Chess, is convinced that “this experiment will become a worldwide reference.”
Full article on the la Repubblica website (in Italian language)