Rome: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has announced plans to ban face coverings including burqas and niqabs in schools and introduce a legal limit on the number of foreign students in individual classrooms.
Speaking at Fenix, a youth event organised by her Brothers of Italy party in Rome on Sunday, Meloni said a measure containing the proposals would soon be presented to the Council of Ministers.
The proposed legislation would also require parents of foreign students facing severe integration difficulties at school to learn Italian, according to Meloni.
“For us, anyone who comes to Italy and wants to build their future here must learn our language, know our culture, and respect our rules,” she said, describing the measures as part of the government’s approach to integration.
What Does Meloni’s Proposed School Policy Include?
The proposed package would introduce a maximum number of foreign students allowed in each class, although the government has not yet specified the proposed limit.
It would also require parents of foreign students experiencing severe integration problems to learn Italian.
The third major proposal is a ban on burqas and niqabs in schools. Meloni argued that students should attend school with their faces uncovered and connected the proposal to gender equality.
“Gender equality is non-negotiable—not on our streets, and not in our schools,” she said.
How Many Foreign Students Are Enrolled In Italian Schools?
According to data from research institute Fondazione ISMU cited in the report, around 930,000 students without Italian citizenship are currently enrolled in schools across Italy. They account for approximately 11.6% of the country’s total school population.
The proposed classroom cap would therefore affect a significant section of Italy’s school system, although its precise scope will depend on the limit ultimately adopted by the government.
Meloni Also Announces Changes To Medical School Admissions
Meloni also addressed university admissions, particularly the system for entering medical school.
She said the government had scrapped the multiple-choice entrance test, which she criticised as an unfair mechanism that restricted opportunities for students.
Meloni described the previous system as one of the “senseless injustices” she associated with left-wing governments and said her government had removed the mechanism.
The latest announcements form part of Meloni’s broader proposed approach to integration, combining language requirements, classroom limits for foreign students and restrictions on face coverings in schools.
