Students in Italy Protest as Schools Reopen
Hundreds of students protested in Rome on Monday to demand more classrooms, transport to school and better access to education.
After almost 10 months of remote learning, it was the first day back for high school pupils, yet many chose to demonstrate instead.
For most high schools, only half of the students from each class were allowed to return to ensure enough space between desks for social distancing.
"Remote learning is not working," said high school student Simone Shiaze.
He added, "Many families cannot afford providing digital devices to their children to attend internet lessons regularly."
According to Save the Children Italy, 34,000 high school students are at risk of dropping out from school due to the hardships they faced in following the remote learning mode.
United Nations cultural agency UNESCO reported that more than 10 million students were affected by COVID-19 restrictions in Italy.
Italy on Sunday registered 12,545 new infections, raising to 2,381,277 the number of confirmed cases to date.
Health Ministry figures also included 377 deaths since Saturday, bringing the overall known death toll to 82,177, one of the highest in Europe.