The AFAM system is made up of state conservatories, academies of fine arts (state and non-state), ex-equalized musical institutes promoted by local authorities, state academies of dance and drama art, state higher institutes for artistic industries, as well as by other private institutions authorized by the Ministry to issue qualifications with legal value.
The AFAM system is composed of a total of 145 institutions, of which 82 state and 63 non-state and, precisely, by:
* twenty state academies of fine arts;
* a National Academy of Dramatic Art;
* a national dance academy;
* 55 state music conservatories;
* 18 ex-musical institutes equalized;
* five higher institutes for artistic industries;
* eighteen legally recognized academies of fine arts, including the five historical ones of Genoa, Verona, Perugia, Bergamo, Ravenna;
* 27 other institutions authorized to issue securities with legal value.
Higher artistic and musical qualifications have a legal value equivalent to university qualifications. Pre-academic level study courses are also available at state music conservatories, non-state music institutes and the dance academy.
Among the main results achieved there are several initiatives:
- Premio Nazionale delle Arti: The Miur supports artistic training and promotes students' excellence in the arts, with the National Award of the arts. The call is annual and is reserved for students enrolled in institutions and accredited courses of the Afam system. The award is about figurative, digital and scenographic arts; the Performing Arts, the Design; the Interpretation and musical composition thus covering all the disciplinary areas present in the Afam system.
- Premio Claudio Abbado;
- The partnership MIUR-MIBACT which provide the "Piano Nazionale Cinema per la Scuola " (National Plan for CInema in School) for the issuance of several calls for proposals addressed to Bodies, Foundations, Associations and schools of all levels for the presentation of project ideas connected with cinema and audiovisual sectors. The primary objective of the projects must be the design and implementation of didactic-educational tools and initiatives to raise awareness and train students through the use of cinematographic and audiovisual language. They will also have to carry out interdisciplinary training courses on the theme "Cinema for the School" for students and teachers.
The system of Higher Education in Art, Music and Choreutics (AFAM) is governed by Law 508 of 21 December 1999, a law that reformed the sector of artistic education, defining it as "higher education of a tertiary and specialist nature". In this way, the law acknowledges the constitutional provision which, in article 33, provides for the system of artistic training parallel to the university system. The data on the AFAM system are systematically collected through an annual statistical survey, of a census nature, conducted at all the AFAM Institutions.
The survey, envisaged by the National Statistical Plan (PSN), aims to provide information to support the national and international monitoring and evaluation activities of the tertiary training system ( https://www.miur.gov.it/web/guest/rilevazioni-sulle-istituzioni-afam).
The following are surveyed:
# the training offer according to the different systems,
# students enrolled, enrolled and graduated by course of study,
# the teaching and non-teaching staff;
# the international mobility of students and teachers
# student contributions and interventions in favor of students.
All those enrolled in AFAM and pre-AFAM courses (pre-academic level) at the state and legally recognized Fine Arts Academies, the State and equal higher institutes of musical studies (ISSM), the National Academy fall within the scope of the survey of dramatic art, the National Dance Academy, the Higher Institutes for the artistic industries (ISIA) and the Institutions authorized to issue Higher Education in Art, Music and Dance .
In addiotion, with the "National Cinema Plan for Schools", language, history, production film are fully included in the educational offer plan of the schools of every order and degree. The MIBACT and the MIUR have promoted competition and fundings for the creation of didactic-educational tools and initiatives raising awareness and training of students through the use of language
cinematographic and audiovisual.