Italy plans burqa ban and foreign student caps in schools

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced on September 20, 2026, that her government is preparing legislation to ban burqas and niqabs in schools and to cap the number of foreign students per classroom. The proposal, presented at a youth rally organized by her Brothers of Italy party in Rome, will require cabinet approval followed by parliamentary passage within 60 days to become law.

Meloni argued that large concentrations of non-Italian-speaking students hinder integration and that face visibility in schools is important. She stated: "If there is only one child in a class who doesn't understand Italian, that child will likely learn the language quickly with help from classmates and teachers. However, if the number of children who don't understand the language becomes large—or even the majority—that is no longer integration; it is neglect." She did not specify the exact percentage cap for foreign students. Current data shows non-Italian citizens account for 11.6% of students enrolled in Italian schools, according to research institution Fondazione ISMU.

The proposal also requires parents of foreign students with serious difficulties integrating into the school system to learn Italian. Meloni emphasized: "You must go to school with your face uncovered, and in Italy no one, in the name of a real or supposed tradition, can decide that a young woman must hide herself."

School administrators have raised concerns about implementation. Antonello Giannelli, president of the National Association of School Principals, told ANSA that schools must accept enrollments from neighborhood children and cannot refuse admission based on foreign nationality. He noted that a 30% cap on foreign students already exists under Italian law and questioned how the new measure would differ. Opposition politicians dismissed the proposal as pre-election stagecraft. Vice-president of the 5-Star Movement Vittoria Baldino said Meloni was engaging in propaganda while ignoring serious school infrastructure issues.

The announcement comes amid competition within Italy's right-wing political landscape. Retired general Roberto Vannacci's Futuro Nazionale party has called for even tougher measures on migration. Italy is among European countries most exposed to migrant arrivals due to its central Mediterranean location. Several European nations, including France, Belgium, Austria, and Denmark, already restrict face coverings in public spaces or schools.