Ministry of Education and Merit

The Ministry of Education and Merit (, or MEM) is the government body of Italy devoted to the administration of the national education system. It was active in three separate periods (1861–1929; 1944–2001; 2006–2008), before being merged with the Ministry of Universities and Research to create the Ministry of Education, University and Research. The two ministries were re-instated in January 2020. History Set up in 1861 under the Cavour cabinet, it was suppressed on 12 September 1929 by Benito Mussolini's cabinet, and replaced by the Ministero dell'Educazione Nazionale (Ministry of National Education). This name persisted until 29 May 1944 (i.e. until under the second cabinet of Pietro Badoglio), and the second Ivanoe Bonomi cabinet had it revert to its original name (della Pubblica Istruzione).