Italy tightens school rules on veils and language
SCMP · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Italy’s cabinet has adopted a decree that will ban face coverings in all schools and impose a 30 per cent ceiling per class on newly arrived foreign pupils with insufficient Italian from the next school year. The rules apply differently in primary and secondary schools, using citizenship, birthplace and prior schooling in Italy to determine which pupils count toward the quota. The decree also extends beyond students, allowing schools to report parents with serious language difficulties so social services can offer free Italian courses, with fines for non-compliance reportedly ranging from €200 to €1,000. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said more “balanced” classes would benefit everyone and promote integration, while critics see the move as part of a tougher line on migrants by Italy’s right-wing government.
Key Points
- From the next school year, face coverings will be banned in all Italian schools, and students must keep their faces recognisable during lessons.
- Each class will be capped at 30 per cent newly arrived foreign pupils with insufficient Italian, under rules approved by Italy’s cabinet on Thursday.
- In primary schools, the quota covers non-Italian citizens not born in Italy who have not attended Italian kindergarten for at least two years
- In secondary schools, similar criteria apply, except pupils must have attended Italian schools for at least three years to fall outside the cap
- Schools may flag parents with major language difficulties to youth welfare offices, and reported fines for breaches range from €200 to €1,000.
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers with children studying in Europe, the decree points to stricter school-level integration rules that can affect enrolment, classroom placement and day-to-day communication with schools. It also shows how migration policy debates in Europe are increasingly being carried into education systems, not only through student rules but through expectations placed on parents as well.