World

Meloni outlines school ban on veils, new foreign student limits

September 21, 2026 9:19 am

source: Reuters

Italy is preparing to ban face coverings in schools and to cap the number of foreign students per class, Prime Minister Giorgia ​Meloni said on Sunday as she played up her right-wing ‌credentials at a youth event organised by her party.

Italy is among the European countries most exposed to migrant arrivals because of its central Mediterranean location, making migration a ​hot-button issue and a major challenge for successive governments.

The integration of ​migrants, particularly those from Muslim-majority countries, remains contentious in Italian politics ⁠and society. Debates over religious symbols, cultural integration, citizenship rules and ​immigration policy frequently polarize public opinion.

“A measure will soon be presented to a ​Cabinet meeting to legally establish a maximum number of foreign students per class. It also requires parents of foreign students facing serious difficulties integrating into the school system to ​learn Italian and bans burqas and niqabs in schools,” Meloni told an ​annual gathering of the youth wing of her Brothers of Italy party.

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