Giorgia Meloni announces new rules in Italian schools: a limit on foreign students and mandatory Italian language courses

The Italian government is preparing new rules for schools, which will include establishing by law a maximum number of foreign students in a class, requiring some parents to learn Italian, and banning the wearing of the burqa and niqab in educational institutions. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made the announcement on Sunday at the annual meeting of the youth organization of the Brothers of Italy party.

According to the prime minister, the measures target situations in which a large number of students do not know the Italian language, making integration and teaching more difficult. Meloni argued that when these students become the majority in a class, effective integration can no longer be discussed.

The bill is expected to be presented at a government meeting, but the exact limit for the number of foreign students has not been announced.

According to data from Fondazione ISMU, cited in the debate, 11.6% of students in Italy do not have Italian citizenship. Romanians represent the largest foreign community in the country, with more than 1.05 million citizens registered as of January 1, 2025.