TV and educational resistance. The Italian experience of Alberto Manzi, unconventional teacher

In the collective imagination, the 1960s represent an era of social tensions and cultural battles against class differences, in favor of equal rights and duties, in defense of democracy, the frail and the oppressed (Fofi, 2017). From the turmoil of those years came some milestones of international critical pedagogy and philosophy of education. In Germany, Theodor Adorno (1963; 1969) published "Critical Models: Interventions and Catchwords". In Italy, Fr. Lorenzo Milani published "Lettera a una professoressa", while the philosopher and educator/anti-fascist Aldo Capitini (1968), published "Educazione aperta". In Brazil, Paulo Freire (1967; 1970), published "Educacao como pratica da liberdade" and "Pedagogia do oprimido". In the same years, Italy's illiteracy rate was close to 7 percent for men and 10 percent for women (Bravi, 2021. The function of state TV – which, in 1961, reached 97 percent of the total population (Rai.it, 2023) – was not only to entertain but also to educate and inform, helping to combat school dropout and illiteracy. In 1960, for this purpose, the TV show entitled: "Non è mai troppo tardi" (trans.: "It's Never Too Late"), was broadcasted for the first time. It was presented by Alberto Manzi, an elementary school teacher and author of some publishing successes in children's literature, such as "Orzowei" (1955) and "Grogh, story of a beaver" (1961), later translated into 28 languages. The show was conceived as an evening class, in which "the centrality of the word, which was analyzed through images, photographs and film clips on TV signed an [innovative] teaching methodology" (Bravi, 2021, p. 34). It was aired for eight years gaining great acclaim and enhancing the educational and social function of entertainment (Stramaglia, 2021). It is estimated that almost one and a half million people obtained their elementary school diploma thanks to Manzi's video lessons (Rai.it, 2023). Relying heavily on a language capable of creating an immediate bond with the viewer, on simplicity and spontaneity, the unconventional teacher-conductor was able to convey the basic concepts of reading-writing to the less literate segments of the population by means of a teaching method quite different from the traditional-scholastic one. In fact, he was able to integrate formative and communicative skills, thanks to a strong pedagogical-didactic preparation and from a long experience in out-of-school and socio-educational interventions on the territory (Farné, 1978). Ultimately, we might consider "It's Never Too Late" a kind of ante-litteram "distance education", and a form of educational resistance based on the formative potential of the medium of television. Alberto Manzi and Italian state TV contributed, together with educational institutions, to the literacy of the less affluent segments of the population, as well as to the development, consolidation, and more widespread dissemination of the (Italian) national language.