Italy is preparing new school rules that would ban face coverings such as burqas and niqabs and limit the number of foreign students in individual classrooms, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Sunday, Sept. 20.
Meloni announced the plans at an annual youth gathering organized by her right-wing Brothers of Italy party. She said the government would soon present the measures to the Cabinet. The proposed rules would also require parents of foreign students who face serious difficulties integrating into the Italian school system to learn Italian, Meloni said.
She argued that language barriers can make it harder for students to integrate when large numbers of children in the same classroom do not understand Italian.
“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,” Meloni said.
“But 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 added.
Meloni did not say how many foreign students would be allowed in each class under the proposed limit. Foreign students who are not Italian citizens make up 11.6% of students enrolled in Italian schools, according to Fondazione ISMU, a research institution. That amounts to nearly 12 out of every 100 students.
The issue comes as Italy continues to face significant migration pressures because of its location along the central Mediterranean migration route. Immigration and the integration of migrants, particularly those from Muslim-majority countries, remain major political and social issues in the country.
Meloni also defended the proposed ban on face coverings in schools, saying students should attend school with their faces uncovered. “You must go to school with your face uncovered,” Meloni said, adding that no one should be required to hide her face in Italy in the name of tradition.
