Italy Decrees Limits on Non-Italian Speakers and Veils in School Class
The measure affects about 1,000 classrooms and sets fines of 200 to 1,000 euros for parents who skip required language courses.
- On Thursday, Premier Giorgia Meloni's government approved a decree limiting students with insufficient Italian language skills to 30% per classroom and banning face-covering Islamic veils in schools.
- Meloni described these as "common-sense measures that do not divide but help foster genuine integration, avoiding 'ghetto' classrooms and giving all students equal opportunities."
- The 30% threshold applies to language proficiency rather than citizenship, including students from other European Union countries; the decree requires parliamentary endorsement within 60 days.
- Opponents, including unions and opposition parties, warn the rules could force students to attend distant schools, while critics accuse the government of turning immigration into a political issue.
- Facing pressure from hard-line challenger Roberto Vannacci, Meloni's move allows her to reassert credentials before potential spring elections, though analysts say the measures' impact is likely limited.
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14 Articles
Italy decrees limits on non-Italian speakers and veils in school class
Jannatur Nayeem, 33, an Italian citizen of Bangladeshi origin, top left, chats with other mothers as they wait for a sports lesson to end at a school in downtown Rome, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Measures on foreigners come in class (ANSA)
The measure, which aims to promote integration and equal opportunities, has been criticized by the opposition as a 'hunt to witches' against foreign students.
The Italian Council of Ministers has approved the new decree for schools, which provides, among other things, changes to the composition of classes, Italian lessons for parents and a ban on face coverings.
(Teleborsa) - The 30% roof of foreign students in class and the extension for Euro 5 diesel cars: are the main measures approved this evening by the Council of Ministers, which gave the green light to three...
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