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Italy's PM proposes foreign student cap, burqa ban in schools
Confirmed
In Short: Constitutional law professor Salvatore Curreri told Euronews that strict classroom quotas could clash with Italy’s constitutional guarantee that schools are open to everyone.
Meloni said the measures aim to foster integration, preserve Italian cultural identity, and ensure that native children do not feel marginalized in the classroom.
The proposal would prohibit burqas and niqabs in schools and introduce a legal ceiling on foreign students in each class, though the exact cap has not been specified.
Parents of foreign pupils facing 'serious integration problems' could be required to learn Italian, according to Meloni.
Meloni argued that Italian children should not feel marginalized because they have become a minority in their classroom.
Constitutional law professor Salvatore Curreri told Euronews that strict classroom quotas could clash with Italy’s constitutional guarantee that schools are open to everyone.
Around 11.6 percent of pupils in Italian schools are currently non-citizens, according to Italy’s Education Ministry.
Italy already has guidance limiting non-Italian pupils to around 30 percent of a class in many circumstances, although enforcement can be difficult in areas with large migrant populations.
Under the proposal, individual classrooms would have limits on non-Italian students to prevent heavy concentrations in specific districts.
Students who don't hold Italian citizenship account for around 11.6 percent of school enrollment nationwide.
Under Italian law, children born to foreign parents do not automatically gain citizenship at birth and must wait until age 18 before they can apply.
Meloni said if in a classroom there is only one child who doesn’t understand Italian, that child will manage to learn the language and integrate fast with the help of peers and teachers.
What's confirmed
- Meloni said the measures aim to foster integration, preserve Italian cultural identity, and ensure that native children do not feel marginalized in the classroom.
- The proposal would prohibit burqas and niqabs in schools and introduce a legal ceiling on foreign students in each class, though the exact cap has not been specified.
- Parents of foreign pupils facing 'serious integration problems' could be required to learn Italian, according to Meloni.
- Meloni argued that Italian children should not feel marginalized because they have become a minority in their classroom.
- Constitutional law professor Salvatore Curreri told Euronews that strict classroom quotas could clash with Italy’s constitutional guarantee that schools are open to everyone.
- Around 11.6 percent of pupils in Italian schools are currently non-citizens, according to Italy’s Education Ministry.
- Italy already has guidance limiting non-Italian pupils to around 30 percent of a class in many circumstances, although enforcement can be difficult in areas with large migrant populations.
- Under the proposal, individual classrooms would have limits on non-Italian students to prevent heavy concentrations in specific districts.
- Students who don't hold Italian citizenship account for around 11.6 percent of school enrollment nationwide.
- Under Italian law, children born to foreign parents do not automatically gain citizenship at birth and must wait until age 18 before they can apply.
- Meloni said if in a classroom there is only one child who doesn’t understand Italian, that child will manage to learn the language and integrate fast with the help of peers and teachers.
What's still developing
- Italy’s government is preparing to ban burqas and niqabs in schools as part of a wider package on migration and integration, which will also seek to limit the number of foreign pupils in classrooms and push families to learn Italian.
- Meloni said students should attend school with their faces visible, presenting the measure as one linked to women’s equality and social integration.
- The government has yet to publish the final legislation or specify the proposed ceiling for foreign pupils.
- The proposed school ban would target the burqa and niqab, which cover the face to different degrees.
- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced plans Sept. 20 to introduce legislation capping the number of foreign students in Italian classrooms and banning face-covering garments, including burqas and niqabs, in schools.
- Before joining Fox, she worked at The Telegraph with the U.S. overnight team, across desks including foreign, politics, news, sport and culture.