Italy Plans Limits on Foreign Students in Classrooms

Italy is preparing to introduce new measures aimed at regulating the number of foreign students in classrooms and banning face coverings such as burqas and niqabs in schools. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said a proposal would soon be presented to the Cabinet. She said classrooms with a large number of students who do not understand Italian can create language and integration difficulties. Meloni argued that Italian children should not find themselves a minority in their own classrooms. However, she did not specify the maximum number of foreign students that would be permitted in each class.

The government also plans to require parents of foreign students who face serious difficulties integrating into the Italian school system to learn the language. Meloni said students who do not understand Italian should be able to learn quickly with the support of teachers and classmates. The proposed measures would require Cabinet approval and subsequently parliamentary approval before coming into force. Italy currently has rules limiting the proportion of foreign students in certain classes, while the government is now considering a new legal framework for the issue.