Italy’s cabinet adopted a decree-law banning full-face veils in schools and capping students who do not have Italian citizenship and lack a sufficient school background at 30 percent per classroom. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s administration introduced the measures to enforce cultural rules and language requirements, drawing swift backlash from opposition leaders and teachers’ unions.
Cabinet Decree Targets Classroom Veils and Foreign Student Caps
The Italian government has advanced a sweeping package of educational restrictions, adopting a decree-law that prohibits full-face coverings in educational institutions and imposes a 30 percent ceiling on students who do not have Italian citizenship and lack a sufficient school background. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni initially outlined the plans during a speech to the youth wing of her conservative Brothers of Italy party in Rome, positioning the rules as a defense of national culture and classroom integration.
Under the emergency decree, wearing burqas or niqabs in schools is punishable by fines ranging from 200 to 1,000 euros (up to $1,140). If a minor conceals their face, the financial penalty applies directly to the parents. The legislation also targets language proficiency among families, requiring parents of foreign pupils who struggle with integration and do not know Italian to attend free Italian language courses. Failure to complete these mandatory classes carries identical fines of up to 1,000 euros.
For us, anyone who comes to Italy and wants to build their future here must learn our language, understand our culture, and respect our rules. It is the only serious way to welcome them.
Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy, via Associated Press
Exemptions, Language Funding, and Demographic Realities
Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara noted that provincial school offices will coordinate student placements to keep foreign enrollment at or below the 30 percent threshold. According to ministry data cited by Aljazeera, non-citizen students accounted for 11.2 percent of Italy’s student body in the 2022–23 academic year, with classes exceeding the 30 percent limit making up 7.6 percent of the total nationwide. Valditara stated that the new cap would directly impact roughly 1,000 classrooms, or about 0.3 percent of all classrooms across the country.
To accommodate districts where the cap proves difficult to enforce, the government introduced specific exemptions based on family needs and student domiciles, alongside a specific fund with a dotazione of 17,5 milioni dedicated to bolstering language support in non-compliant schools. In primary schools, the 30 percent limit applies specifically to non-citizen children born abroad or lacking at least two years of kindergarten attendance; in secondary schools, it applies to students who have not completed at least three years of school with a positive outcome.
Political Opposition and Skepticism From School Principals
The decree has sparked intense political division. Elly Schlein, leader of the centre-left Democratic Party, condemned the action as a shameful ideological banner designed to mask the administration’s failure to address core systemic problems in public education. Critics also argue that the rules are calculated to counter the electoral rise of the far-right National Future party, which had previously campaigned on stricter migration crackdowns in schools.
Educational leaders questioned the feasibility of implementing the policy mid-cycle. Antonello Giannelli, president of the National Association of Principals, noted that practical solutions remain difficult in regions with heavy migrant populations. Meanwhile, Gianna Fracassi, general secretary of the Flc Cgil union, dismissed the initiative as a propagandistic measure divorced from classroom realities that ignores pressing teacher salary and staffing shortages.
Legislative Hurdles Ahead for the Emergency Decree
Because the policy was adopted as a decree-law, it carries immediate legal force but faces a strict constitutional timeline. The measure must be ratified by the Italian parliament within 60 days to remain permanent. President Sergio Mattarella has already expressed caution regarding potential barriers to education, while lawmakers debate the broader ramifications of tying family penalties and religious dress codes to public school access.
