Italian government ministers have sanctioned new regulations prohibiting the wearing of burqas and niqabs in schools while simultaneously introducing a cap limiting the proportion of foreign pupils in individual classrooms. The decree aims to streamline integration policies within the national education system.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced the measures, characterizing them as practical steps designed to foster inclusion rather than division. She emphasized that attending school requires having one’s face visible, stating that no individual should impose the concealment of a woman’s identity under the guise of tradition.
Under the new framework, a maximum threshold of 30% will apply to students lacking Italian citizenship or possessing insufficient proficiency in the Italian language during the initial years of primary, middle, and high school. Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara clarified that the restriction is linguistic in nature rather than based on nationality. He further described the face veil ban as a crucial measure for upholding gender equality.
The legislation specifically targets the niqab, which obscures the face but reveals the eyes, and the burqa, a full-body garment typically featuring a mesh screen for vision. It does not extend to the hijab, which leaves the face exposed.
Data from the Fondazione ISMU indicates that non-Italian citizens currently represent 11.6% of the student population across Italy. The application of the 30% ceiling varies by educational stage. In primary schools, the rule covers children who were not born in Italy and have not completed at least two years of nursery school. In secondary education, it applies to students without Italian citizenship who have not finished three years of the Italian school system.
To prevent the formation of isolated cohorts, local school authorities will be instructed to distribute students with limited language skills more evenly across nearby institutions. Where such dispersion is unfeasible, exemptions will be granted alongside additional Italian language instruction. Valditara stated the objective was to avoid creating “ghetto classes” within the system.
The decree also introduces provisions regarding parental involvement. Schools will be required to notify social services if persistent language barriers among parents impede a child’s integration. Affected families will be offered free Italian courses.
As a decree law, the regulations take effect immediately but require parliamentary ratification within 60 days. This move codifies guidelines previously established in 2010 under then-Education Minister Mariastella Gelmini, which set a 30% target for non-citizen pupils but lacked legal enforcement.
The proposal has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties, who allege it is a political maneuver aimed at appeasing the hard-right Futuro Nazionale party ahead of next year’s general election. Elly Schlein, leader of the center-left Democratic Party, dismissed the plan as propaganda that is impractical to execute. Deputy chamber president Anna Ascani echoed these sentiments, arguing the government is prioritizing politics over the welfare of students.
Valditara rejected the accusations while appearing via video link from New York, asserting that the government was not pursuing Roberto Vannacci, the general leading Futuro Nazionale, but rather that Vannacci was aligning with their agenda.
Meanwhile, Matteo Salvini of the League party, who recently introduced his own measures targeting what he termed “political Islam,” criticized Vannacci for opposing the government. Salvini expressed hope that Futuro Nazionale would support the League’s forthcoming proposals.
Is this really about education? Feels like political theater designed to rally the right-wing vote before elections.
Finally, some common sense. Integration requires learning the language and respecting local customs, not segregating ourselves.