AP
Rome
Italy’s government passed a decree Thursday to place an upper limit on the number of students in each school classroom who have only limited Italian language skills and to ban face-covering Islamic veils in schools.
Premier Giorgia Meloni’s conservative government said the package is aimed at strengthening integration through language learning and has drawn support from right-wing allies.
Opponents, including some educators, unions and opposition parties, warn that new rules could force students to attend schools far from their neighbourhoods, while critics accuse the government of turning immigration into a political issue.
With elections possible as early as next spring, analysts say the measures allow the premier to reassert her credentials on issues central to her conservative base, even though their impact is likely to be limited and significant questions remain about how they would be enforced.
Under the plan, a limit of 30 per cent of foreign students lacking sufficient Italian proficiency would be allowed in any individual classroom.
The government decree goes into effect immediately but needs to be endorsed within 60 days in Parliament, where Meloni’s coalition commands a majority.
Meloni wrote on social media that they are “common-sense measures that do not divide but help foster genuine integration, avoiding ghetto classrooms and giving all students equal opportunities.”
The decree also bans burqas and niqabs in schools while continuing to allow hijabs.
The measure is narrower than restrictions adopted in some other European countries.
The decree provides additional teaching resources for schools where newly arrived foreign students exceed 20 per cent of enrollment and additional language-learning funds for schools exceeding the 30 per cent threshold.
It would also require some parents of foreign students to attend Italian-language courses when language barriers within families contribute to educational or behavioural difficulties.
The decree comes as Meloni faces mounting pressure on her right flank from a new hard-line challenger, retired army Gen Roberto Vannacci, who has been seeking to capitalise on voter concerns over immigration and national identity.
Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara said local school authorities will coordinate student placements to avoid concentrations of non-Italian-speaking pupils, while schools unable to comply would be eligible for exemptions and additional language-support funding.
