Meloni proposes burqa, niqab ban in Italian schools, cap on foreign students in classrooms

ROME: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has announced plans to ban burqas and niqabs in schools and introduce a legal cap on the number of foreign students in each classroom, placing education and language at the centre of her government’s approach to migrant integration.

Meloni announced the proposed measures on Sunday while addressing the youth wing of her Brothers of Italy party at the Gioventù Nazionale national festival in Rome. She said the package would soon be presented to the Cabinet and would also require parents of foreign students facing serious difficulties integrating into the school system to learn Italian.

“For us, anyone who comes to Italy and wants to build their future here must learn our language, understand our culture, and respect our rules,” Meloni said.

Cap on foreign students

The government plans to establish a legal maximum for the number of foreign students permitted in individual classrooms, although Meloni did not specify the proposed ceiling.

Explaining the rationale, the Prime Minister argued that a student who does not understand Italian can learn the language more easily with assistance from classmates and teachers when the number of such pupils is small.

However, she said that when the number of children unable to understand Italian becomes large or constitutes a majority, the situation could no longer be considered effective integration.

Students who are not Italian citizens currently account for about 11.6 per cent of enrolment in Italian schools.

Italy already has guidelines intended to prevent excessive concentrations of non-Italian pupils in individual classrooms, but Meloni’s proposal seeks to put a maximum number on a statutory footing. The precise form of the proposed limit has yet to be announced.

Burqa, niqab ban

The proposed legislation would also prohibit burqas and niqabs in schools. Both garments cover the face, although the niqab generally leaves the eyes visible.

Meloni did not include the hijab — which covers the hair and neck but leaves the face visible — in the restrictions she announced.

The Prime Minister said students must attend school with their faces uncovered and argued that cultural or religious traditions should not require young women to conceal their faces.

Italy does not currently have an explicit nationwide ban on burqas or niqabs. A 1975 law, however, prohibits garments or other coverings that prevent identification without a justified reason. A subsequent court ruling recognised that religious or cultural reasons could justify face coverings provided they were removed when identification was required.

Parents may need lessons

Another element of the proposal would make Italian language lessons compulsory for parents of foreign students who face what Meloni described as serious integration difficulties.

Her government has presented language proficiency as central to integrating migrant families into Italian society, linking knowledge of Italian with participation in schools and public life.

The measures come as immigration remains a major political issue in Italy, one of the European Union countries most exposed to migrant arrivals across the Mediterranean.

Meloni’s government has pursued tighter migration policies since taking office in 2022, including changes to asylum and reception rules and its agreement with Albania concerning migrant processing facilities.

Parliament approval needed

The measures announced by Meloni are proposals and have not yet become law. After Cabinet approval, they would require parliamentary approval within 60 days.

The proposals also come ahead of Italy’s general election next year, with migration, integration and citizenship expected to remain prominent issues in the political debate.

Several European countries already restrict full-face coverings to varying degrees. France has a broad prohibition on concealing the face in public, while other countries have introduced nationwide or institution-specific restrictions.

For Meloni, the latest proposal brings that debate directly into Italy’s classrooms, combining restrictions on face coverings with language requirements and limits on the concentration of foreign students.