Italy to Ban Burqas in Schools, Limit Foreign Students

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced on Sunday that Italy plans to ban face coverings in schools and will cap the number of foreign students per class. These measures are part of a new crackdown by Meloni's hard-right government aimed at fostering integration.

Meloni stated that a proposal would soon be presented to the Cabinet to legally establish a maximum number of foreign students per class. "If there is only one child in a class who doesn't understand Italian, that child will likely be able to learn the language and integrate quickly with the help of classmates and teachers," Meloni said at an annual gathering of the youth wing of her Brothers of Italy party. "However, if the number of children who don't understand the language becomes large – or even the majority – that is no longer integration; it is neglect."

The Prime Minister also indicated that parents of foreign students facing integration difficulties would be required to learn Italian, and burqas and niqabs would be banned in schools. "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," Meloni asserted.

Currently, there is no specific law in Italy banning burqas in schools or public places. However, a 1975 law prohibits the use of garments that make identification difficult without a justified reason. In 2008, Italy's highest administrative court clarified that full-face veils could be worn for religious or cultural reasons, provided the face is revealed for identity verification.

Students who are not Italian citizens constitute 11.6% of those enrolled in Italian schools, according to research institution Fondazione ISMU. Italy's central Mediterranean location makes it a primary destination for migrant arrivals in Europe, rendering migration a significant political issue.

Similar measures have been enacted or proposed in other European countries. Earlier this month, Austria implemented a ban on Islamic headscarves in schools, barring hijabs and burqas from classrooms for girls under 14. The legislation, supported by the far-right Freedom Party, was passed with opposition only from the Greens party. The Islamic Religious Community in Austria has stated the move infringes on fundamental rights.

Last month, Portugal enacted a "burqa law" prohibiting the concealment of faces in public spaces, a measure widely seen as targeting Muslim women wearing full-face veils. The law also prohibits any coercion forcing a person to cover their face based on gender, religion, age, or origin. The government stated the law aims to protect "human identity," with President Antonio Jose Seguro emphasizing that the face is a central element of identity and communication.