Italy to Ban Burqas in Schools and Cap Foreign Student Numbers

Italy's hard-right government, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, is set to introduce measures banning face coverings like burqas and niqabs in schools. The government also plans to cap the number of foreign students per class, Meloni announced Sunday at an annual gathering of her Brothers of Italy party's youth wing.

Meloni stated that parents of foreign students facing significant integration difficulties would be required to learn Italian. "You must go to school with your face uncovered, and in Italy no one, in the name of a real or supposed tradition, can decide that a young woman must hide herself," she said.

The Prime Minister explained her rationale for limiting foreign students, arguing that while one student struggling with the language can be integrated with the help of classmates and teachers, a large or majority group unable to understand Italian creates a situation of "neglect" rather than integration.

Italy, due to its central Mediterranean location, is a primary arrival point for migrants in Europe, making migration a persistent and contentious issue. Debates surrounding religious symbols, cultural assimilation, and immigration policy frequently divide Italian society and politics.

While Italy does not have an explicit law banning burqas in schools or public spaces, a 1975 law prohibits garments that hinder identification without justification. In 2008, Italy's highest administrative court ruled that full-face veils could be worn for religious or cultural reasons, provided the face is uncovered for identity checks.

Earlier this year, the anti-immigrant League party, a coalition partner in Meloni's government, proposed a bill in the Senate to ban face-concealing garments except in specific circumstances like sporting events or places of worship.

The announcement follows similar actions in other European countries. Austria recently implemented a ban on Islamic headscarves in schools, barring hijabs and burkas from classrooms for girls under 14. Portugal also enacted a law prohibiting the concealment of faces in public spaces, a measure widely seen as targeting Muslim women wearing full-face veils.

According to the research institution Fondazione ISMU, non-Italian students constitute 11.6% of those enrolled in Italian schools, approximately 12 out of every 100 students.