Italy prepares bill banning niqabs in schools and setting quotas for foreigners

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced the preparation of a bill that introduces a ban on wearing the burqa and niqab in schools.

In addition, it provides for a limit on the number of foreign students in a class, the ANSA news agency reports.

At the annual gathering of the youth wing of the Brothers of Italy party, Giorgia Meloni said that students "must go to school with an uncovered face, and in Italy no one, whether in the name of a real or supposed tradition, can force a girl to hide herself." The requirement to limit the number of foreigners in classes, according to the prime minister, is driven by the desire to maintain the quality of education and increase the level of integration. "If there is only one child in the class who does not understand Italian, then he will most likely be able to learn the language and integrate quickly with the support of classmates and teachers," she said, noting that if there are many students who do not know the language, or even a majority, "then this is not integration, but negligence."

In addition, it is planned to oblige the parents of foreign students to also learn Italian if families have serious difficulties integrating into society. At the same time, Ms. Meloni did not specify the maximum number of foreigners that may be in a class. According to the Fondazione ISMU research institute, the share of foreigners attending Italian schools currently stands at 11.6%, that is, about 12 out of every 100 schoolchildren.