Italy's Giorgia Meloni limits foreign pupils in schools and bans face coverings

Italy's right-wing government has recently enacted rules to restrict the number of foreign pupils in schools and ban face coverings, actions that critics argue are intended to counter the growing influence of a rival far-right party ahead of upcoming elections. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni faces challenges as a rival party, National Future, gains traction with around 8 percent support, while her coalition lags behind the center-left bloc.

National Future has made schools a focal point of its campaign, advocating for "remigration" and fearing "Islamic contamination" in classrooms.

Under a proposed decree, starting from the 2027-28 school year, a 30 percent limit will be imposed on non-Italian pupils and those who have not attended nursery school in Italy for at least two years. The decree also mandates fines of up to €1,000 for individuals wearing face coverings on school premises. Prime Minister Meloni defended these measures, stating they are "common-sense" and promote genuine integration.

She announced the plans at a rally for her party's youth wing, suggesting parents of non-Italian-speaking children must attend language courses.

The measures have raised concerns among school principals, who find it challenging to enforce them in areas with substantial immigrant populations, particularly in northern Italy. In cases where demand exceeds the 30 percent cap, education authorities must redistribute pupils among nearby schools, taking into account family needs and access to education, though details on the practical implementation are left unspecified.

President Sergio Mattarella, who must sign off on the decree, has expressed reservations about barriers to education.

According to the ISMU Foundation think tank, approximately 900,000 foreign students are enrolled in Italian schools, making up 11.6 percent of the total student population. Around 43 percent of these students come from other European countries, while 32 percent are from African backgrounds. Opposition politicians have criticized the decree, accusing Meloni of focusing on culture-war politics rather than addressing the actual issues facing public schools.

The centre-left Democratic Party's leader, Elly Schlein, called the decree "shameful," arguing it attempts to distract from the government's perceived inability to tackle the real problems in the public school system.