Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni used a speech at the Fenix event, organized by the youth wing of her Brothers of Italy party, to unveil two education‑policy proposals aimed at preserving cultural cohesion in Italian classrooms.

Proposed limit on foreign‑born students

Meloni said that when a classroom contains only a few children who do not speak Italian, peers and teachers can help them integrate quickly. She warned that if foreign‑born students become a majority, “that’s not integration anymore, that’s abandonment.” The government intends to introduce legislation that would legally cap the proportion of non‑Italian citizens in any classroom at roughly 30%.

According to the ISMU ETS Foundation, an immigration‑focused think tank citing the Ministry of Education, foreign‑citizen students currently make up about 11.6% of total school enrollment nationwide. Under Italy’s citizenship rules, children born to non‑Italian parents do not automatically receive citizenship at birth; they must wait until age 18 and meet residency requirements.

Ban on face‑covering garments in schools

Meloni also called for a ban on face‑covering garments, specifically naming burqas and niqabs, within school premises. “At school, you go with your face uncovered, and in Italy no one, in the name of a real or presumed tradition, can decide that a young woman has to hide. Equality between men and women is non‑negotiable,” she asserted. The measure would target only garments that cover the face, not all forms of Islamic headwear.

The proposal will first be presented to the Council of Ministers before moving to parliament for approval.

Reactions and context

Professor Mariagrazia Santagati, a sociology professor at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan, told CBS News that some depopulated Italian neighborhoods have higher concentrations of non‑Italian residents, leading to larger numbers of foreign‑born students in local schools. She noted that Italy’s public schools have traditionally embraced inclusion, from children with disabilities to various minorities, and expressed concern about how the new limits would be implemented.

Europe has seen several countries, including France and Belgium, restrict face‑covering garments in public spaces, though the legal bases differ. If adopted, Meloni’s classroom cap would be a first on the continent.

The announcements come as Italy prepares for next year’s general election, with Meloni facing challengers from both the left and right.

Original reporting: KTSA News/Talk (San Antonio) — read the source article.