Giorgia Meloni, the Prime Minister of Italy, announced the preparation of two legislative proposals to ban face coverings in Italian schools and limit the number of foreign students in classrooms. Meloni said on Sunday during her speech at the annual Technics event organized by the youth wing of the Brothers of Italy party, "Italian children cannot feel like a minority in class."
The importance of language in education
Meloni continued, "If the number of children who do not understand the language of instruction increases or even becomes the majority, it is no longer integration; it is neglect." These remarks reflect Meloni's concerns about the status of non-Italian students in the country's educational system. According to available reports, nearly 930,000 students without Italian citizenship are enrolled in schools across the country, accounting for about 11.6 percent of the student population.
Decrease in the number of migrants
Research from the ISMU Foundation shows that in the past decade, the number of foreign children in Italy has decreased by 4.5 percent. In this context, Meloni did not provide further details about the proposed restrictions on foreign students but emphasized that this is one of the key issues that will be addressed. The Prime Minister of Italy has come to power due to voters' concerns about immigration issues and has made this a cornerstone of her electoral campaign.
This is not the first time Meloni's government has sought to ban face coverings. In 2025, her party announced plans to prohibit the burqa and niqab in all public spaces across the country, describing this law as a response to "Islamic separation." This bill is still under consideration in the lower house of the country.
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