Integration is moving from principle to enforceable policy.
Rome
Italy’s government has approved a new education decree that will ban students from covering their faces in schools and impose a 30 percent ceiling on certain foreign pupils in first year classes. The measures are scheduled to take effect in September 2027 and form part of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s broader approach to school integration. Violations of the face covering rule could result in fines of up to €1,000. The government presents the package as an effort to strengthen identification, language acquisition and social integration within the education system.
The rule does not formally name specific religious garments. Instead, it prohibits participation in school activities with the face covered or in any way that prevents identification. Meloni has explicitly connected the measure to garments such as the burqa and niqab, while the hijab, which leaves the face visible, falls into a different category. The distinction is important because the decree targets facial concealment rather than religious dress in general.
The 30 percent ceiling is more complex. In primary schools, it applies to pupils who are not Italian citizens, were not born in Italy and did not complete at least two years of preschool in the country. In secondary schools, it applies to non citizens who have not completed at least three years of schooling within the Italian system. In areas with high concentrations of migrant families, the rule could require some pupils to attend another nearby school.
The government is also introducing mandatory free Italian language courses for parents with limited proficiency, with the objective of reaching A2 level. Supporters argue that stronger language skills among families can improve communication with schools and reduce educational segregation. Critics from opposition parties contend that the measures risk stigmatizing migrant children and may be difficult to implement in neighborhoods where demographic concentration already exceeds the proposed threshold.
More than 4,000 Italian schools currently have student populations in which non Italian citizens represent over 30 percent, according to education data cited in reporting on the decree. Around 900,000 pupils in the country do not hold Italian citizenship, although not all would fall under the specific criteria established by the new limit. The practical impact will therefore depend heavily on how local authorities apply the rules.
The debate reaches beyond school administration. Italy is testing whether integration can be accelerated through mandatory distribution and language requirements without producing new forms of exclusion. The law’s real measure will come not from the political message surrounding it, but from how it changes everyday life inside classrooms.
Phoenix24: claridad en la zona gris. / Phoenix24: clarity in the grey zone.