Italy is preparing to ban face coverings in schools and introduce limits on the number of foreign students in each class, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Sunday.
Meloni made the announcement at an annual youth gathering organised by her Brothers of Italy party, highlighting her government’s position on migration and integration.
Italy has faced significant migrant arrivals because of its location in the central Mediterranean. Migration and the integration of migrants, particularly those from Muslim-majority countries, remain contentious issues in the country.
“A measure will soon be presented to a Cabinet meeting to legally establish a maximum number of foreign students per class,” Meloni said.
She added that parents of foreign students facing serious difficulties integrating into the Italian school system would be required to learn Italian.
The proposed measure would also ban burqas and niqabs in schools, she said.
Meloni argued that a small number of students who do not speak Italian could learn the language with support from teachers and classmates.
However, she said a large number of students who could not understand the language would make integration more difficult.
Meloni did not specify the proposed maximum number of foreign students allowed in each class.
According to research institution Fondazione ISMU, students without Italian citizenship make up 11.6 per cent of Italy’s school population.
“You must go to school with your face uncovered,” Meloni said, adding that no one should require a young woman to cover her face in Italy in the name of tradition.