Italy plans school cap on foreign students, burqa and hijab ban

ROME, Sep 20: Italy is preparing legislation to introduce a legal limit on the number of foreign students in individual school classes and ban the burqa and hijab in schools, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Sunday.

Speaking at the Fenix youth festival organized by her Brothers of Italy party, Meloni said Italian children should not feel like a minority in their own classrooms. She said the proposed measure would set a maximum number of foreign students per class and require parents of foreign students facing serious integration difficulties to learn Italian.

Meloni said the government would also prohibit the wearing of the burqa and hijab in schools. The measure is expected to be submitted to Italy’s Council of Ministers soon. The government has not yet disclosed the proposed legal cap on foreign students.

The announcement follows Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara’s call earlier this month for legislation to enforce a 30% limit on foreign students per class, saying the existing limit had not been effectively implemented.