Italy to ban burqas, niqabs in schools and limit foreign students per class

Italy is preparing new school rules that would ban face coverings such as burqas and niqabs in schools and introduce a legal limit on the number of foreign students allowed in each classroom, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has announced.

Speaking at an annual youth event organised by her Brothers of Italy party on Sunday, Meloni said the proposed measures would soon be presented to the Cabinet.

The rules would also require parents of foreign students facing serious difficulties integrating into the Italian school system to learn Italian.

Meloni said concentrating large numbers of students who do not understand Italian in the same classroom could undermine efforts to integrate them into the education system.

“If there is only one child in a class who doesn’t understand Italian, that child will likely be able to learn the language and integrate quickly with the help of classmates and teachers. However, if the number of children who don’t understand the language becomes large – or even the majority – that is no longer integration; it is neglect,” she said.

The Prime Minister did not specify the maximum number of foreign students that would be permitted in a class. According to figures cited in reports on the proposal, students without Italian citizenship make up about 11.6 per cent of pupils enrolled in Italian schools.

On face coverings, Meloni said students should attend school with their faces uncovered, arguing that no one should be required to conceal themselves in Italy in the name of tradition.

The proposed measures come amid wider debates in Italy over migration, integration, religious symbols and the education of children from migrant families. The plan has also raised questions about how a cap on foreign students would be implemented, with school leaders noting that families generally attend schools in their local areas.