Italy seeks to ban burqas in schools and limit number of foreign students per class

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced that the government will soon submit measures to the Council of Ministers to limit the number of foreign students in a single classroom and ban the wearing of Islamic niqabs and burqas in schools.

“The Council of Ministers will soon consider a decree that will legally establish a maximum number of foreign students per class… and also ban the burqa and niqab in schools,” Meloni stated.

“It is unacceptable for Italian children to feel sidelined in an Italian classroom because they have become a minority. That should not happen,” the Prime Minister said.

She also stated that parents of foreign students struggling with integration would be required to learn Italian.

Under the proposed rules, a 30% cap on foreign students per class is envisaged. However, these restrictions would not apply to citizens of other EU countries, who—in accordance with European Union regulations—are treated on an equal footing with Italian students.