Rome — Italy’s cabinet approved new education regulations on Thursday that prohibit face-covering Islamic garments, such as burqas and niqabs, in classrooms and impose a strict ceiling on the number of students lacking fluency in Italian.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni defended the measures as practical steps designed to foster integration rather than division. She argued that the rules are necessary to prevent the formation of “ghetto classes” and ensure that every student receives equal opportunities.
Under the new decree, classrooms are capped at 30% foreign students who do not have sufficient command of the Italian language. For primary schools, this limit applies to non-citizen children who were not born in Italy or who did not attend at least two years of preschool. In middle and high schools, the restriction targets non-citizens who have not been enrolled in the national school system for a minimum of three years.
Meloni described the prohibition of full-face coverings as a security issue. “When a woman — or worse, a young girl — is forced to cover her face, she is being denied fundamental rights and the very integration that is so often loudly championed,” she stated in a television interview. While the ban specifically targets burqas and niqabs, the hijab remains permitted in schools.
Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara indicated that the regulations would impact approximately 1,000 classrooms, representing roughly 0.3% of the total nationwide. Official statistics from the 2022-2023 academic year show that students without Italian citizenship made up 11.2% of the school population, with 7.6% of classes exceeding the proposed 30% foreign student threshold.
Violations of the decree carry a fine of up to €1,000 ($1,140). Although the measures are effective immediately, they require formal parliamentary ratification within 60 days. Meloni’s coalition currently holds a majority in the legislature.
The announcement has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties and child advocacy groups. Elly Schlein, a leading opposition figure, condemned the policy as a “witch hunt” targeting children, accusing the government of politicizing immigration ahead of next year’s general election. Similarly, Save the Children urged the government to act with responsibility, warning that the criteria could create a hierarchy of “first-class” and “second-class” students and potentially force pupils to attend schools distant from their neighborhoods.
I worry about forcing kids to distant schools just to balance a quota. Does this really help integration or just punish families?
Finally, some common sense. Integration requires effort from both sides, and language is the foundation of it all.