Meloni targets veils and foreign pupil caps
Thestandard · 3 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Sunday that her government will soon bring forward a measure to ban face coverings in schools, cap the number of foreign pupils in each classroom and require Italian lessons for some parents of foreign students who face serious integration difficulties. She announced the plan at a youth event in Rome organised by Gioventu Nazionale, the youth wing of her Brothers of Italy party. Meloni said the proposal would ban burkas and niqabs in schools, while not referring to the hijab. She did not specify the ceiling for foreign students per class, but argued that too many pupils who do not understand Italian turns integration into neglect
Key Points
- Meloni said a measure would soon go to a Cabinet meeting to set a legal maximum for foreign students in each class
- The proposal would ban burkas and niqabs in schools, with Meloni saying pupils must attend school with their faces uncovered.
- Parents of foreign students with “serious difficulties” integrating into the school system would be required to take Italian language lessons.
- Meloni made the announcement on Sunday in Rome at the Gioventu Nazionale national festival linked to Brothers of Italy.
- Foreign students who are not Italian citizens make up 11.6% of enrolment in Italian schools, according to Fondazione ISMU
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers following European migration politics, the proposal shows how school policy is being used as a frontline tool in wider debates over integration, religion and national identity in Italy. It also matters because the measure still needs government approval and then parliamentary passage within 60 days, meaning the political fight will continue beyond the announcement stage.