Italy is preparing new measures that would ban burqas and niqabs in schools and introduce a legal limit on the number of foreign students allowed in each classroom, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on September 20. The proposals were announced at an event organised by the youth wing of her Brothers of Italy party in Rome.Â
Under the proposed measures, parents of foreign students facing serious difficulties integrating into the Italian school system could also be required to learn Italian. Meloni said the government would soon present the package to the Cabinet, with the measures aimed at addressing language and integration challenges in schools.
Meloni argued that when only a small number of students struggle with Italian, teachers and classmates can help them learn the language and integrate. She said she considered the situation different when a large proportion of students in a classroom do not understand Italian.
The government has not yet specified the new maximum number of foreign students per class. Italy already has rules concerning the proportion of pupils who are non-Italian, although these limits have not always been applied strictly because of local circumstances. Foreign students currently account for around 12% of enrolment in Italian schools.
The announcement has also prompted criticism. Italy’s National Association of School Principals said the issue of integration was understandable but questioned how such a limit could be implemented in practice, while opposition politicians criticised the proposal. The measures are proposals rather than enacted laws. If approved by the government, they would still require parliamentary approval before becoming legally binding.Â
