Italy Plans School Ban On Burqas, Niqabs; Meloni Proposes Foreign Student Cap

<p class="isSelectedEnd">Italy is preparing to restrict face coverings such as burqas and niqabs in schools and limit the number of foreign students in each classroom, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni indicated during a youth programme organised by her party on Sunday.</p> <p class="isSelectedEnd">The proposed measures are being viewed in the context of Meloni&rsquo;s right-wing political image. Italy, due to its location in the Mediterranean, is among the European countries that receive a large number of migrants, making immigration a major issue for successive governments.</p> <h2>What Did Meloni Say?</h2> <p class="isSelectedEnd">Meloni said a proposal would soon be presented at a Cabinet meeting. It will include provisions to limit the number of foreign students in each classroom.</p> <p class="isSelectedEnd">She also said parents of foreign students who face serious difficulties integrating into schools would need to learn Italian. The proposal would also ban burqas and niqabs in schools.</p> <p class="isSelectedEnd">&ldquo;If there is only one child in a class who does not know the Italian language, that child will probably learn the language with the help of friends and teachers and integrate quickly,&rdquo; Meloni said.</p> <p class="isSelectedEnd">&ldquo;But if there are more such children, it will become difficult to ignore. They will not be able to integrate and will end up forming their own majority,&rdquo; she added.</p> <p class="isSelectedEnd">Meloni did not specify the proposed limit on the number of foreign students in each classroom during her speech.</p> <h2>11.6% Students In Italian Schools Are Non-Citizens</h2> <p class="isSelectedEnd">According to research by Italian organisation Fondazione ISMU cited in the report, 11.6% of students studying in Italian schools are not Italian citizens.</p> <p class="isSelectedEnd">This means that around 12 out of every 100 students are foreign nationals.</p> <h2>&lsquo;You Will Have To Go To School With Your Face Uncovered&rsquo;</h2> <p class="isSelectedEnd">Addressing school students, Meloni said they would have to attend school without covering their faces.</p> <p>&ldquo;You will have to go to school with your face uncovered. In Italy, no one can, in the name of a real or perceived tradition, say that a young woman should cover herself,&rdquo; she said.</p>

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