Italy approves school decree banning face coverings and limiting foreign pupils

ROME: Italy’s Council of Ministers has approved new school regulations that prohibit face coverings such as the burqa and niqab in educational institutions and introduce a limit on the number of certain foreign students in first-year classes.

The decree bans students from attending curricular and extracurricular activities with their faces covered in a way that prevents identification. The restriction also applies to school-family activities.

Exceptions will be allowed for specific health and security reasons.

Violations could result in administrative fines ranging from €200 to €1,000. If the person involved is a minor, the penalty would be imposed on their parents under the proposed rules.

The government said the measures are aimed at improving integration and preventing the development of segregated or “ghetto-like” classrooms.

30% limit for certain foreign students

The decree also establishes a 30% ceiling for specified students without Italian citizenship in first-year classes.

At the primary-school level, the restriction applies to children who were not born in Italy or who have not completed at least two years of preschool education.

For lower and upper secondary schools, the limit applies to students without Italian citizenship who have not successfully spent at least three academic years in Italy’s national education system.

Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara said around 34,000 classes currently have a foreign-student proportion above 30%.

He said the government wants schools to place greater emphasis on Italian-language learning as part of efforts to support students’ integration.

The decree also addresses situations where serious and continuing language difficulties within a family affect a child’s integration at school.

Schools would be required to report such cases to social services. Authorities could then arrange Italian-language courses for parents.

Failure to comply with certain provisions could also result in financial penalties ranging from €200 to €1,000.

The measures are part of the government’s broader approach to education, language learning and integration in Italian schools.