Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Announces School Reforms Banning Face Coverings and Capping Foreign Students

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced on Sunday that Italy is preparing to implement new restrictions in schools, including a ban on face coverings and a cap on the number of foreign students per class. Speaking at a youth event organized by her party in Antibes, south of France, Meloni emphasized her right-wing political stance on migration and integration.

Italy remains one of the European nations most affected by migrant arrivals due to its central Mediterranean location. The integration of migrants, particularly from Muslim-majority countries, continues to be a central and divisive issue in Italian politics and society, with ongoing debates regarding cultural integration, religious symbols, citizenship rules, and immigration policy.

“A measure will soon be presented to a Cabinet meeting to legally establish a maximum number of foreign students per class. 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 stated to the youth wing of her Brothers of Italy party.

Addressing the rationale behind the classroom limits, Meloni explained, “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.”

While Meloni did not provide a specific numerical limit for foreign students, data from the research institution Fondazione ISMU indicates that non-Italian citizens currently account for 11.6% of total school enrollment, translating to nearly 12 out of every 100 students.

“You must go to school with your face uncovered, and in Italy no one, in the name of a real or supposed tradition, can decide that a young woman must hide herself,” Meloni concluded.