Italy Plans to Limit Foreign Students in Classrooms

The Italian government is drafting new school rules that would limit the number of foreign students in each classroom and ban the wearing of burqas and niqabs. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced the plan at an event organized by the youth wing of her party, Fratelli d'Italia.

Meloni did not specify a maximum percentage for foreign students. She presents the measure as an effort to promote integration and the teaching of Italian, especially in classes with many children who do not speak the language.

On headscarves and niqabs, Meloni argues that students should attend school with their faces uncovered. Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara has advocated similar measures for some time.

According to Fondazione ISMU data, students without Italian citizenship account for 11.6% of the school population, or more than 931,000 children and young people. The proposal still has to be discussed by the government, so its final form is not yet known.

(Reuters, mja)