Italy Plans Face-Veil Ban in Schools and Limit Foreign Students in Classrooms
Italy is preparing to ban face coverings in schools and introduce a cap on the number of foreign students per class, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has announced.
Speaking on Sunday at an annual gathering of the youth wing of her Brothers of Italy party, Meloni said a measure will soon be presented to Cabinet that bans burqas and niqabs in schools and legally sets a maximum number of foreign students per classroom.
The proposal will also require parents of foreign students struggling to integrate to learn Italian.
Meloni said students must attend school with their face uncovered, adding that no tradition should require a young woman to hide herself. She said integration works when only one child in a class does not understand Italian, but when the number becomes large, it turns into neglect.
She did not disclose what the cap will be. Non-Italian citizens currently make up about 11.6% of students in Italian schools.
The announcement comes as migration remains a major political issue in Italy due to its central Mediterranean location. Italy Slashes Diesel Tax Again to Counter High Fuel Prices
