Italy is preparing legislation that would ban the wearing of burqas and niqabs in schools, while also introducing a limit on the number of foreign students allowed in each classroom, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has announced.
Meloni made the announcement during an event organised by the youth wing of her Brothers of Italy party. She said the proposed measures would soon be presented to the Council of Ministers.
Under the proposal, schools would be required to set a maximum number of foreign students per class. The government has not yet specified what that limit would be. Italy currently has about 930,000 non-Italian students, representing 11.6% of the total school population, according to data cited by ANSA from the latest ISMU report.
The proposed measures would also require parents of foreign students facing serious difficulties integrating into the Italian school system to learn the Italian language, according to Meloni.
Meloni said schools should be places where students attend with their faces uncovered and linked the proposed face-covering ban to her government’s approach to education and integration.
Italian officials are working on the proposed legislation ahead of an expected Council of Ministers meeting on Thursday. According to ANSA, the measures are expected to be introduced through a government-backed bill dealing with schools.
The proposals have already prompted criticism from opposition politicians and education figures. The National Association of School Principals has questioned the practical implementation of a foreign-student cap, while Save the Children has raised concerns about using nationality-based numerical limits in schools.
The measures therefore remain proposals at this stage and would need to go through Italy’s legislative process before becoming law.