Date: September 20, 2026
Reporter: Emilly Jordan
MILAN — Italy is preparing legislation that would ban full-face coverings such as burqas and niqabs in schools and establish a legal limit on the number of foreign students who can be placed in the same classroom, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Sunday.
Meloni announced the proposed measures at an annual gathering of the youth wing of her Brothers of Italy party, presenting the plans as part of the government's approach to integration, education and migration. She said a measure would soon be brought before the Cabinet for consideration.
Under the proposal, the government would establish a maximum number of foreign students permitted in each class. Meloni did not specify what that maximum would be, leaving the details of how the proposed system would operate to be determined through the forthcoming legislation.
The proposal would also require parents of foreign students experiencing serious difficulties integrating into the Italian school system to learn Italian. Meloni argued that language proficiency is central to successful integration and said schools should be able to provide an environment in which students can learn Italian alongside their classmates and teachers.
Meloni said that when only a small number of students in a classroom do not understand Italian, they can learn the language and integrate with assistance from teachers and other students. She argued that larger concentrations of students who do not understand the language could make integration more difficult.
The face-covering provision specifically concerns the burqa and niqab, which cover the face. Reuters reported that Meloni said students should attend school with their faces uncovered and argued that no one should be required to conceal their face in an Italian school in the name of religious or cultural tradition.
The proposal should be distinguished from a general ban on the hijab, which is a headscarf that leaves the face visible. Reuters reported that Meloni specifically referred to burqas and niqabs in announcing the school measure.
Foreign students already represent a significant portion of Italy's school population. According to Fondazione ISMU, a research institution cited by Reuters, students who are not Italian citizens account for 11.6% of students enrolled in Italian schools, meaning that nearly 12 out of every 100 students are foreign nationals.
Migration has remained one of the most politically sensitive issues in Italy. The country is situated on the central Mediterranean migration route, making it one of the principal European destinations for people arriving by sea from North Africa and other parts of the region. Questions surrounding immigration, citizenship, cultural integration and religious expression have therefore remained prominent in Italian political debate.
Meloni's government has made stricter migration controls and integration policies important parts of its political agenda. The latest proposals place particular emphasis on schools, where the government says language ability and classroom composition can affect how quickly children from migrant families become integrated into Italian society.
The planned classroom limit is also notable because Italy already has rules concerning the concentration of foreign students in schools. Reporting by other outlets indicates that existing regulations have allowed a general ceiling of around 30% in certain circumstances, with exceptions based on factors including students' Italian-language abilities. The precise changes the new government proposal would make were not specified in Meloni's announcement.
The government has yet to provide the full text of the proposed legislation, meaning important details remain unclear, including how foreign students would be defined for the purposes of the classroom limit, how exceptions would work and how schools would enforce the new rules.
The proposal is also likely to generate debate over the balance between integration policies, freedom of religion and equal access to education. Supporters of restrictions on face coverings may argue that schools require clear identification and common language standards, while critics may raise questions about religious freedom and whether nationality should determine how students are distributed among classrooms.
For the government, the proposals represent another attempt to address migration and integration through the education system. Meloni's announcement comes as her administration continues to emphasize national identity, language acquisition and compliance with Italian laws and social norms.
Once the measure is presented to the Cabinet, lawmakers will have to consider its provisions before any new restrictions become legally binding. Until that process is completed, the proposed limits on foreign students and the planned ban on burqas and niqabs in schools remain government proposals rather than rules already in force.