The upward curve of enrolment in schools with Slovene as the language of instruction in Italy, which began at the end of the last century in Gorizia and at the beginning of the new one in Trieste, has reversed in the last four years. The downward trajectory is mainly due to a negative demographic trend, characterised by a decline in births. The phenomenon is particularly influenced by the increased mobility of young people, the prolonged stay in their families of origin and the postponement of parenthood.
In order to understand the extent to which the decline in kindergarten enrolment, which has already been taking place for several years, will have an impact on or reduce the number of pupils enrolled in primary schools and, in particular, in lower secondary schools, a longitudinal analysis was conducted, taking into account in the statistical calculations the trend of each generation’s transition from one level of schooling to the next.