Italy Moves to Restrict Face Coverings and Cap Foreign Students in Schools
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has announced a series of upcoming legislative changes aimed at reforming the Italian school system, focusing specifically on cultural integration and classroom demographics. Speaking at a Brothers of Italy youth gathering, Meloni confirmed that her administration plans to implement a cap on the number of foreign-born students allowed in any single classroom. The Prime Minister argued that when the proportion of non-Italian speakers becomes too high, it leads to neglect rather than genuine integration, asserting that schools must ensure all students have a strong command of the Italian language to succeed.
Beyond classroom ratios, the government intends to prohibit the wearing of burqas and niqabs within educational institutions. Meloni framed this move as a defense of individual autonomy, emphasizing that students must attend school with their faces visible and that no cultural tradition should force young women to conceal themselves. The proposal also includes a mandate requiring parents of foreign students struggling with integration to take Italian language classes themselves. While the specific threshold for the student cap has yet to be finalized, these measures reflect a broader push by the right-wing government to tighten immigration policies and standardize cultural integration across Italy.