Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni passed rules on September 24 limiting foreign students at schools and banning face coverings. The measures aim to counter National Future's rising popularity; this far-right party advocates for "remigration" and criticizes Islamic influence in classrooms. Starting from the 2027-28 school year, a cap of 30% will apply to non-Italian pupils, with fines up to €1,000 for face coverings in schools. Critics argue these policies are driven by cultural politics rather than addressing educational needs.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-24,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy, announced on September 24 at a youth event organized by her right-wing Brothers of Italy party in Rome, plans to ban face coverings like burqas and niqabs in schools. She also proposed capping the number of foreign students per class, requiring parents of foreign students facing integration difficulties to learn Italian, and making it mandatory for students to attend school with their faces uncovered. Meloni emphasized that immigrants must learn Italian, understand Italian culture, and respect Italian rules if they want a future in Italy. This move is part of efforts to address the contentious issue of migrant integration amid high levels of immigration to Italy, due to its location in the central Mediterranean. The proposed measures need Cabinet approval before being presented to parliament for final passage within 60 days.
Written for “Italy School Ban Burqas Limit Foreign…” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 19 other(s) covering the same event.
Beset by far-right rival, Italy's Meloni tightens foreign pupil rules
ROME, Sept 24 -
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Meloni → Beset → rules
Italy's right-wing government on Thursday passed rules to limit the number of foreign pupils at school and ban face coverings, a move opponents said was designed to counter the growing appeal of a rival far-right party ahead of elections due next year.
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opponents → pass → elections
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is grappling with the rise of National Future, a party founded in February by former army general Roberto Vannacci and already polling at around 8%, while surveys show her coalition trailing the centre-left bloc.
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coalition → grapple → bloc
National Future has made schools a central battleground in its campaign advocating "remigration" - the deportation of foreigners to their countries of origin - and has argued that Islamic "contamination" in classrooms harms national identity.
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contamination → make → identity
From the 2027-28 school year, a 30% cap will apply in primary school classrooms to pupils who are not Italian nationals and were not born in Italy, or who have attended fewer than two years of nursery school in the country, according to a draft decree.
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who → apply → decree
The decree also imposes fines of up to €1,000 ($1,137) on anyone entering school premises wearing face coverings, which members of the ruling coalition describe as symbols of Islamist oppression and a lack of respect for women's dignity.
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members → impose → dignity
"These are common-sense measures that do not divide people, but help foster genuine integration," Meloni posted on X after cabinet approved the measures.
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cabinet → divide → measures
ITALIAN COURSES FOR PARENTS
She first unveiled the plans on Sunday at a rally of the youth wing of her Brothers of Italy party, where she also said parents of children who do not speak Italian would be required to attend language courses.
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who → unveil → courses
In what appeared to be a part of a broader push to rally support for the coalition ahead of a 2027 election, Meloni last week also announced a partial rollback of the unpopular road tax.
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Meloni → appear → tax
The schools measures have sparked concern among principals, who say they will be difficult to enforce in areas with large immigrant populations, particularly in northern Italy.
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they → spark → Italy
If demand exceeds the 30% cap, education authorities will have to redistribute pupils among nearby schools, taking into account family needs and access to education, the draft said, without specifying how that would be done in practice.
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that → exceed → practice
President Sergio Mattarella, who has to sign off on the decree, flagged this week that he is wary of any barriers being placed on education.
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he → have → education
According to think tank ISMU Foundation, around 900,000 foreign students attend Italian schools, accounting for 11.6% of the total student population.
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students → accord → population
About 43% come from other European countries, while 32% have African backgrounds.
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% → come → backgrounds
Opposition politicians accused Meloni of prioritising culture-war politics over the interests of students and schools.
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politicians → accuse → students
"It is a shameful decree that seeks to hide the government's inability to address the real problems of the public school system behind a new ideological banner," said Elly Schlein, the leader of the centre-left Democratic Party.
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Schlein → seek → Party
Immigration is politically sensitive in Italy, but the share of immigrants in the population remains lower than in several European peers, standing at about 12% in 2025, compared with 21% in Germany and 19% in Spain, Rockwool Foundation data shows.
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data → stand → Spain
The Aporia
