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Italy is preparing legislation to ban burqas and niqabs in schools, introduce a legal cap on foreign students in classrooms and require some foreign parents to learn Italian, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Sunday.
Meloni announced the proposals at a youth festival organised by her Brothers of Italy party in Rome.
She said people coming to Italy to build a future should learn Italian, understand the country’s culture and respect its laws.
Under the proposed measures, parents of foreign students facing serious integration difficulties at school would be required to attend Italian-language classes. The government has not yet specified the proposed limit on foreign students per class.
The legislation would need parliamentary approval within 60 days of being issued to become law.
Italy already has guidelines limiting foreign students to 30 percent of pupils in a class, although the government wants to introduce a statutory limit.
Foreign students currently account for about 12 percent of pupils in Italian schools, according to figures cited in reports.
Italy does not currently have a nationwide ban specifically targeting burqas or niqabs. Existing laws restrict clothing that prevents identification in certain circumstances, while religious or cultural reasons can be recognised as exceptions, provided the face can be uncovered when identity checks are required.
Meloni’s proposals come ahead of Italy’s next general election and as immigration and integration remain contentious issues, including competition from parties further to the right.
The measures are expected to face political and legal debate before any changes take effect.
