ESI celebrates 30 years of activity in the Netherlands. Years during which the commitment to this country has always grown, arriving at the creation of a system of “widespread Italian school” which still today involves a small number of people committed to a single goal: provide to children of Italian or mixed families (or simply “italianofile”), a basic education in the Italian language, as well as teaching the Italian language to interested adults.

L'ESI was born from the ashes of COASCIT (Committees for the educational assistance of Italians abroad), organizations created and managed by the Italian Consulates in the various countries of the world where Italian emigration was present. Established in 1973, for approx 20 For years these Committees have looked after the learning of the Italian language by family members (especially spouses) foreigners of Italian emigrants, and therefore of their children and grandchildren immersed almost exclusively in local schools and culture. The COASCITs used tenured teachers included in the foreign organization charts of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs(MAE) and who were selected by it and seconded to various countries.

In each country the Consulates had to take into account the specific local legislation, in particular for the employment of local staff (eat ad es. secretarial staff), thus giving rise to a multiplicity of different situations that are difficult to manage for the MAE e, occasionally, source of tensions between Italian diplomatic authorities and local institutions.

For these reasons, in 1993 the MAE decided to suspend direct management (via Consulates) of COASCIT,  favoring their transformation into local law bodies, autonomously managed and totally free from the Italian diplomatic representations in the various countries. To these autonomous bodies, who had legally become "foreigners" and who met the requirements established by the new legislation, the MAE would have provided adequate funding for the carrying out of their activities. Sending permanent teachers(also called "ministerial") remained unchanged, as well as the presence of a "Teaching Directorate" for the supervision of teaching activities and the administrative management of ministerial teachers.

Thus, ESI was born from the COASCIT of the Consular District of Rotterdam, due to the action of some Italian residents on site, who signed the Statute and ensured its first Board of Directors.

Summary graphs 1993-2001