Italy's female prime minister is preparing to propose a law banning female students from wearing face-covering veils in schools and plans to limit the number of foreign students in each classroom.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced during a youth event held by her political party on Sunday (20 Sep 2026) that Italy is preparing legislation to ban face coverings in schools and to set a limit on the number of foreign students per classroom.
Due to its geographic location in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy is one of the European countries receiving the most migrants, making immigration a heated issue and a major challenge for successive governments.
The integration and assimilation of migrants, especially those from predominantly Muslim countries, remains a heavily debated topic in Italian politics and society. Debates over religious symbols, cultural blending, nationality regulations, and immigration policies often provoke significant public disagreement.
"Soon, measures will be proposed to the cabinet to legally set an official limit on the number of foreign students per classroom. Additionally, parents of foreign students who have serious difficulties adapting to the school system will be required to have their children study Italian language. The wearing of burqas and niqabs in schools will also be prohibited," Meloni said.
Meloni added, "If there is only one child in the classroom who does not understand Italian, that child can likely learn the language and adapt quickly with help from classmates and teachers. But if the number of children who do not understand the language is large or becomes the majority, that is no longer integration but neglect."
However, Meloni did not specify what the maximum number of foreign students per classroom would be.
According to data from Fondazione ISMU, a research institute, non-Italian students make up 11.6% of all students enrolled in Italian schools, nearly 12 out of every 100 students.
"You must attend school with your face uncovered, and in Italy, no one—whether in the name of genuine tradition or otherwise—will be allowed to decide on their own that a young woman must conceal her identity," Meloni said.
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Source:cnn