Italy plans school veil ban and foreign student cap

Italy's far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced plans on Sunday to ban burqas and niqabs in schools, as well as limit the number of foreign students per class ahead of the country's upcoming general election. Integration is a key issue for Meloni as Italy faces a surge in migration. At a gathering of her Brothers of Italy (FdI) party youth wing, Meloni stated that a maximum number of foreign students per class would soon be legally established.

Parents of foreign students who struggle to integrate into the school system would also be required to learn Italian. Meloni's announcement echoes a call made in July by the National Future (FN) party, which is further to the right than Meloni's coalition and has gained significant traction in recent months. While there is no explicit law banning burqas in Italy, a 1975 law prohibits the use of helmets or garments that hinder identification without a valid reason.

In 2008, Italy's highest administrative court ruled that full-face veils could be worn for religious or cultural reasons, as long as the face is visible for identity verification purposes. The anti-immigrant League party, a member of Meloni's coalition, recently proposed a bill to the Senate that would ban helmets or garments in most circumstances, with exceptions for sporting events or places of worship.

Currently, the limit on foreign students per class exists under Italian law, with a maximum of 30% of a class and 30% of a school's enrollment. This limit can be increased for foreign students with good language skills or decreased for those with poor Italian proficiency.