ROME (Nazrana Times) — Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has announced plans to introduce new measures that would ban face-covering garments such as the burqa and niqab in schools and limit the concentration of foreign students in individual classrooms.

Meloni announced the proposals on Sunday, September 20, during an event organised by the youth wing of her Brothers of Italy party. The measures are expected to be presented to the Council of Ministers before proceeding through Italy’s legislative process. They are therefore proposals rather than a ban already in force.

According to Meloni, the government wants schools to play a stronger role in the integration of immigrant families. The proposed measures would also require some foreign parents whose children face significant integration difficulties at school to attend Italian-language courses.

Meloni argued that people who choose to build their future in Italy should learn the Italian language, understand the country’s culture and respect its laws.

The government has not yet announced the precise maximum percentage of foreign students that would be permitted in each classroom under the proposed legislation. Italy already has guidelines dating from 2010 concerning the proportion of non-Italian students in individual classes, but details of how the new proposal would alter or strengthen those rules remain to be established.

The proposed clothing restriction specifically concerns burqas and niqabs, which cover the face. It should not be reported as a general ban on the hijab unless the eventual legislation explicitly includes it.

The announcement comes as immigration and integration are expected to feature prominently in Italian political debate ahead of the country’s next general election. Supporters of the government’s approach frame the measures as promoting integration and cohesion in schools, while critics are expected to scrutinise their implications for religious freedom, equality and students’ rights.