Italian Government Approves Ban on Full-Face Veils in Schools and Caps Enrollment of Non-Italian Pupils

The Italian cabinet has approved a decree banning the burqa and niqab in all educational institutions, alongside a new limit on the proportion of students with limited Italian language skills in any single classroom.

A 30% cap will be applied to pupils who are not Italian citizens or who have poor proficiency in the Italian language during their first year of primary, middle, or high school education.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described the measures as practical tools designed to foster integration rather than division, emphasizing that attending school requires an uncovered face to facilitate communication and social inclusion.

Opposition political groups have criticized the move, accusing the government of catering to the agenda of the hard-right Futuro Nazionale party ahead of the upcoming general election.

Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara clarified that the enrollment cap is strictly based on language ability, not citizenship, while framing the veil ban as a step toward gender equality and women’s empowerment.

The ban specifically targets the burqa and niqab, which conceal the face, but does not include the hijab, which leaves the face visible. The niqab covers the face except for the eyes, often worn with a separate eye veil and headscarf, while the burka is a full-body veil with a mesh screen for vision.

According to data from Fondazione ISMU, non-Italian citizens constitute 11.6% of students in Italian schools. The 30% limit will be implemented differently across educational stages: in primary schools, it applies to non-Italians not born in Italy or with less than two years of nursery school experience; in secondary schools, to those without Italian citizenship who have not completed at least three years in the Italian system.

School authorities will be instructed to distribute students with language barriers evenly among nearby institutions, with provisions for exemptions and additional Italian language support where necessary. The goal is to prevent the formation of isolated “ghetto classes.”

The decree also introduces measures for parents, requiring schools to report persistent language barriers to social services for potential intervention, and offers free Italian courses to support integration.

As a decree law, the measures can take effect immediately but must be ratified by parliament within 60 days. This formalizes a previous 2010 ministerial guideline that recommended a 30% cap on non-Italian pupils, turning it into binding legislation.

Critics argue that the policy is more about political posturing than educational reform. Leaders from the centre-left Democratic Party, including Elly Schlein, have labeled the plan as propaganda and unworkable, while deputy Anna Ascani condemned it as exploiting schoolchildren for political gain.

Valditara, speaking from a press conference in New York, rejected accusations of chasing Futuro Nazionale’s influence, stating, “We are not pursuing Vannacci; if anything, he is following us.”

Roberto Vannacci, head of Futuro Nazionale, expressed support for the measures but noted they should have been implemented years ago. Meanwhile, League leader Matteo Salvini, who proposed separate initiatives on “political Islam,” criticized Vannacci for consistently voting against the government and expressed hope that his party would back the League’s new proposals.

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