Meloni Proposes Class Cap on Foreign Students, School Burqa Ban

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said she will put a measure before her government to limit the number of foreign students in each school class and to prohibit the burqa and niqab in schools.

Speaking in Rome on Sunday at the national festival Fenix, organised by Gioventù Nazionale, the youth wing of her Brothers of Italy party, Meloni framed the proposal around integration and shared rules. She said anyone who comes to Italy and wishes to build a future there must learn the language, understand the culture and respect the country's rules, describing that as the only serious way to welcome newcomers.

The measure, which she said would be submitted to the Council of Ministers soon, would set a legal maximum on foreign students per class. It would also require parents of foreign students who face serious difficulties integrating into the school system to learn Italian, and would bar the burqa and niqab in schools.

Meloni told the audience that at school one attends with an open face, and that no one in Italy can decide, in the name of a real or supposed tradition, that a young woman must hide herself. She added that gender equality is non-negotiable, whether in the streets or in schools.

The announcement comes as Meloni has highlighted her government's record-breaking longevity and begun rolling out measures aimed at boosting her popularity ahead of the 2027 general election. Among those steps is an exemption from payment of a widely unpopular vehicles' property tax for small and medium cars and scooters for next year.