Italy’s government has approved a decree introducing a 30% limit on certain foreign students in school classes while banning burqas and niqabs in Italian schools, in a major education policy move by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government.
The Council of Ministers approved the decree on September 24, with the government saying the measures are intended to strengthen integration, improve Italian language skills and prevent the formation of segregated classrooms.
Under the new rules, students without Italian citizenship who do not have an adequate command of Italian and meet specified educational criteria will generally be limited to 30% of a class.
The measure does not apply indiscriminately to every foreign-born student. In primary schools, the criteria focus on pupils who were not born in Italy or who have not attended at least two years of preschool. In secondary schools, it applies to students who have not successfully completed at least three years of schooling.
Italian Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara said around 34,000 classes currently have a foreign student population exceeding 30%.
The government has also introduced provisions allowing exemptions in certain circums...