ERBIL () — Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Sunday that her government will introduce measures to ban burqas and niqabs in schools and establish a legal maximum for the number of foreign students in each class.
Speaking at a gathering of the youth wing of her Brothers of Italy party, Meloni said the measures would be presented to a cabinet meeting as part of efforts to address integration within Italy’s education system.
“It also requires parents of foreign students facing serious difficulties integrating into the school system to learn Italian, and bans burqas and niqabs in schools,” Meloni said.
The proposed measures come as migration and integration remain major political issues in Italy ahead of a general election expected next year. Italy is one of the European countries most directly affected by migration across the Mediterranean.
Meloni also said the government would establish a maximum number of foreign students per class. However, she did not specify how the proposed measure would alter existing rules.
Italian law already limits the proportion of foreign students in schools. Since 2010, foreign students have generally been limited to 30 percent of a class and of a school's enrollment, although exceptions allow the threshold to be raised for students with adequate Italian-language skills or lowered where students have limited knowledge of Italian.
Foreign students currently account for just under 12 percent of enrollment in Italian schools, according to data from Italy’s National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT).
Existing Rules on Full-Face Veils
Italy currently has no law explicitly banning burqas or niqabs in schools or public places.
A 1975 law prohibits the wearing of helmets or garments that make identification difficult without a justified reason. Italy’s highest administrative court clarified in 2008 that full-face veils could be worn for religious or cultural reasons, provided the wearer’s face is uncovered when identity verification is required.
Meloni’s announcement follows a call in July by the National Future (FN) party for a crackdown on the use of burqas in schools. The party, which is not part of the governing coalition, occupies a position further to the right of Meloni’s Brothers of Italy and has gained support since its launch in February.
The League, another right-wing party within Meloni’s governing coalition, also submitted a bill to the Senate earlier this year seeking restrictions on helmets and garments that prevent identification, with exceptions including sporting events and places of worship.
Meloni’s government has made integration and migration central issues of its political agenda, with the latest proposals linking language acquisition, classroom composition and religious dress in schools.
The government is expected to present the measures to the cabinet for further consideration, although details of how the proposed changes would be implemented have not yet been announced.
