Casablanca – Italy has approved a decree banning the burqa and niqab in schools and limiting the number of certain foreign students with limited Italian-language skills to 30% of pupils in first-year classes. The Italian Council of Ministers approved the measures on Thursday as part of a wider package on school integration.
The face-covering ban applies to school activities when the face cannot be identified, with exceptions for specific health or educational reasons. The measure covers the burqa and niqab but does not ban the hijab, which leaves the face visible. Violations can carry fines of up to €1,000.
The government has also introduced a 30% ceiling from the 2027-28 school year for certain students without Italian citizenship in first-year classes. The rules differ by education level.
In primary schools, the limit applies to pupils without Italian citizenship who were not born in Italy or who have not attended at least two years of preschool. In lower and upper secondary schools, it applies to students without Italian citizenship who have not successfully completed at least three years in Italy’s national education system.
Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara has said the measure is focused on language rather than citizenship. Children born in Italy do not count toward the 30% limit under the primary school rules.
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Italy already had a 2010 ministerial guideline recommending a 30% limit for pupils without Italian citizenship. The new decree places a version of that limit into law while changing the criteria used to determine which students are included.
Foreign citizens currently account for about 11.6% of Italy’s school population, according to Fondazione ISMU, although their distribution varies considerably between schools and regions. Around 900,000 foreign students attend Italian schools.
Where schools cannot meet the new limit, local education authorities will be able to distribute students among nearby schools while taking proximity to students’ homes into account. Additional funding will also support Italian-language education. The government has allocated €17.5 million for schools unable to meet the limit, alongside further funding for extracurricular language programs.
The decree also addresses parents. Schools can refer cases involving serious language barriers affecting a child’s integration to social services, which can require parents to attend free Italian courses. Parents who fail to complete the required training can face fines ranging from €200 to €1,000, subject to exemptions.
The measures have drawn criticism from opposition parties and some education officials, while Meloni’s government says they are intended to prevent so-called “ghetto classes” and strengthen integration through language learning. The decree takes effect immediately but must be approved by Parliament within 60 days.
