Italy plans limits on foreign students and headscarf ban in schools

Italy is preparing legislation to limit the number of foreign students in schools and prohibit the wearing of the burqa and hijab, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Sunday, according to ANSA News Agency.

“Italian children cannot feel like a minority in the classroom,” Meloni said at Fenix, a national youth festival organised by the youth wing of her Brothers of Italy party.

She said it was unacceptable for Italian pupils to feel marginalised because they had become a minority in their classrooms.

Proposed rules for schools

Meloni said her government planned to ban both the burqa and hijab in schools. The proposed measure would also require parents of foreign students who face difficulties integrating into the education system to learn Italian.

The measure is expected to be submitted to Italy’s Council of Ministers soon, the prime minister said.