For many parents, the thought of letting their offspring walk to school alone is source of much angst. Launched in 2010, the "Road to School" programme has been taken up by seven establishments in the northwestern city which believe that far from being in danger, children as young as six actually thrive going to school without adults, developing strong self-confidence. Dragging their wheeled schoolbags across a pedestrian crossing, brothers Pablo and Jorge Pazos, 8 and 10, are just one example of an initiative based on research by Italian educational psychologist Francesco Tonucci, who believes in giving kids autonomy.
