Italy caps non-Italian-speaking pupils per class, bans veils in schools
Italy's government on Thursday approved a decree to cap the number of students in each classroom who have limited Italian language skills and to ban face-covering Islamic veils in schools. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's conservative government said the package is meant to strengthen integration through language learning, while opponents said it could push children into schools far from their neighbourhoods and turn immigration into a political issue.
The decree sets a 30 per cent limit on foreign students without sufficient Italian proficiency in any classroom and bans burqas and niqabs in schools, while still allowing hijabs. It takes effect immediately but must be approved by parliament within 60 days, where Meloni's coalition has a majority. Analysts said that with elections possible as early as next spring, the measures could help Meloni reinforce her standing on issues important to her conservative base, even if their practical impact may be limited and enforcement questions remain.
Meloni said on social media that these are "common-sense measures that do not divide but help foster genuine integration, avoiding ghetto classrooms and giving all students equal opportunities." The decree comes as she faces pressure on her right from retired army General Roberto Vannacci, who has been trying to tap concerns over immigration and national identity.
Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara said local school authorities would manage student placements to prevent a concentration of non-Italian-speaking pupils in some classrooms. Schools that cannot meet the rule would be able to seek exemptions and extra funding for language support. He said the measure would affect around 1,000 classrooms, or about 0.3 per cent of the national total, mainly those with large numbers of recently arrived students with little or no Italian.
School leaders questioned how the policy would work in areas with large migrant populations. Antonello Giannelli, president of the National Association of Principals, said, "From an educational perspective, the issue is well-founded and valid, but it's difficult to turn it into a practical solution." He added, "We have situations in which there is a district, a neighbourhood that is mainly inhabited by immigrants and maybe there is only one school. So, since these are children, presumably young children in primary school, it is evident that they will hardly be able to go kilometres from their home."
Teachers' unions criticised what they called a lack of consultation and resources. They said the government's 14-million-euro funding package would not be enough to hire the specialised language teachers and cultural mediators needed to support students. Giovanni Castagno, a 52-year-old primary school teacher in central Rome, said, "Differences mean opportunities, and as with every opportunity, one must be able to catch it. In most cases they (foreign students) allow the class to enrich their view of the world."
Education Ministry data showed that students without Italian citizenship made up 11.2 per cent of Italy's school population in the 2022-23 academic year, while classes with more than 30 per cent foreign students accounted for 7.6 per cent of the total. Foreign students born in Italy would be exempt from the cap, along with those who attended Italian preschool or have already moved through the school system.
The decree also bans burqas and niqabs in schools, but not hijabs. The government said the step is narrower than restrictions in some other European countries. In France, full-face veils were banned in public spaces in 2011 on public security grounds, and students in public schools are also barred from wearing conspicuous religious symbols, including Islamic headscarves, under the country's secularism rules.
Critics in Italy said the school veil provision targets something rarely seen in classrooms. Educators said headscarves are common among some Muslim students, but full-face veils are seldom seen in schools, and warned that the measure risked becoming more of a symbolic political issue than an educational one. Opposition parties also said the 30 per cent threshold largely matches guidance introduced by the Education Ministry in 2010, and accused the government of repackaging an existing policy instead of investing in struggling schools. Centre-left leader Elly Schlein accused the government of using schools to push a political message on migration. Valditara rejected the criticism and said the goal is integration through language learning and stronger educational support.
The decree also provides more teaching resources for schools where newly arrived foreign students make up more than 20 per cent of enrolment, and more language-learning funds for schools that cross the 30 per cent threshold. It would also require some parents of foreign students to attend Italian-language courses when language barriers at home contribute to educational or behavioural problems. Schools would refer eligible families to social services, which could enrol them in tailored support programmes through adult education centres. Parents who do not attend the courses could face fines of 200 to 1,000 euros, though exemptions would apply for those with certified age-related, medical or disability-related barriers to language learning.
Overall, the decree combines classroom limits, extra language support, a ban on face-covering veils in schools and mandatory language courses for some parents, with the government presenting it as an integration measure and critics questioning both its purpose and how it would work in practice.
