At Thursday's Cabinet meeting, Giorgia Meloni’s government approved the measure setting a “cap” on the number of foreign students and banning the burqa in Italian schools.
As had already been announced in recent days, foreign students will henceforth not be allowed to exceed 30% of the total number of students in each school class. Children of foreign nationals who are enrolled in an Italian preschool or who have already completed the first two grades of elementary school are exempt from this measure.
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These new rules are set to take effect starting next school year, and, as has been reported, schools with a high percentage of foreign students will be able to request additional funding to launch special Italian language courses. For any “surplus students,” however, a new school must be found within a short distance of their permanent residence.
The ban on the burqa has also been confirmed, as has the requirement that foreign parents whose children have shown poor academic performance must attend Italian language classes. Anyone who fails to comply with these two new rules will be subject to a fine ranging from two hundred to one thousand euros.
“These are reasonable measures that do not divide, but help students truly integrate, with respect for the law, by avoiding ‘ghetto’ classrooms and offering everyone the same opportunities,” emphasized Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in a statement.
“All international studies tell us that parental involvement in their children’s educational journey is of fundamental importance for overall academic performance. There is data and recommendations from the OECD pointing precisely in this direction,” added Italian Minister of Education Giuseppe Valditara.
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