Archive · 21 Sep 2026
Meloni Proposes School Face-Covering Ban, Foreign-Student Cap
Italy’s prime minister wants to change some school rules.
Her proposal would stop students from wearing burqas or niqabs, which cover the face.
She says students should attend school with their faces uncovered.
The plan would also limit how many foreign students can be in one classroom.
The government has not said what that number would be.
Some parents could have to learn Italian if their children are having serious trouble joining the school system.
Meloni says people who come to Italy should learn the language, understand the culture, and follow the rules.
The proposal is not yet law and must go through the government and Parliament.
She also said the multiple-choice entrance test for medical school had been scrapped.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni proposed banning burqas and niqabs in Italian schools.
Her plan would establish a legal maximum for foreign students in each classroom, but no figure was announced.
Parents of foreign students facing serious integration difficulties could be required to attend Italian-language classes.
About 930,000 students without Italian citizenship represented 11.6% of Italy’s school population in 2023–24.
The proposal still requires government and parliamentary approval; Meloni also discussed scrapping medical-school entrance tests.
- Who
- Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Italian government.
- What
- A proposed school package would ban burqas and niqabs, cap foreign students per class, and require Italian lessons for some parents.
- When
- Meloni announced the proposals on Sunday at a youth event.
- Where
- The measures would apply in Italian schools; Meloni announced them in Rome.
- Why
- Meloni said they would promote integration, Italian-language learning, classroom unity, respect for Italian rules, and gender equality.
- Non-Italian-citizen enrollment
- Around 930,000 students without Italian citizenship accounted for 11.6% of Italy’s school population in the 2023–24 academic year, according to Fondazione ISMU.
- Proposed classroom cap
- The government plans to set a legal maximum for foreign students in each class, but has not announced the number.
- Parent language requirement
- Parents of foreign students facing serious integration difficulties could be required to attend Italian-language classes.
- Face-covering proposal
- Meloni specifically referred to banning burqas and niqabs. Her reported remarks did not mention the hijab.
- Existing student limit
- Reports said Italian law has generally limited foreign students to 30% of a class and a school’s enrollment since 2010, with exceptions based partly on language skills.
- Current legal context
- A 1975 law restricts garments that make identification difficult, while a 2008 ruling allowed full-face coverings for religious or cultural reasons when the face is revealed for identity checks.
- Approval process
- The measure is due to go before the Council of Ministers and would require parliamentary approval before becoming law; one report said approval would be required within 60 days.
Sources
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