The Italian government has approved a controversial decree banning the wearing of the burqa and niqab in schools, alongside a strict 30% cap on the number of pupils with limited Italian language proficiency or non-Italian citizenship in any single class.
The measures, which take immediate effect as a decree law pending parliamentary ratification within 60 days, were announced by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as necessary steps to foster social cohesion. Describing the policies as “common-sense tools that do not divide but really help to integrate,” Meloni emphasized that the veil ban is rooted in gender equality. “You must go to school with your face uncovered,” she stated, adding that no one should be allowed to force a young woman to hide herself in the name of tradition. The ban specifically targets the full-face burqa and niqab, while the hijab, which leaves the face visible, remains unaffected.
Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara, who championed the policy, framed the 30% classroom cap as “purely linguistic” rather than a matter of citizenship. The rule will apply to the first year of primary, middle, and high school, targeting non-Italian citizens who have not completed at least two years of nursery school or three years in the Italian school system, respectively. The stated objective is to prevent the formation of “ghetto classes.” Under the new rules, local school offices will be tasked with distributing these students more evenly across nearby institutions, with exemptions granted only when accompanied by intensive Italian language support. Furthermore, schools will be required to report persistent parental language barriers to social services, coupled with an offer of free Italian courses for the families.
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However, the decree has ignited fierce backlash from political opponents, who argue the timing and nature of the policy are driven more by electoral calculus than educational necessity. With a general election looming next year, opposition leaders accuse Meloni’s coalition of pandering to Roberto Vannacci, the retired military general leading the hard-right Futuro Nazionale party, in an attempt to shore up its right flank.
Elly Schlein, leader of the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), dismissed the plan as “propaganda” that will be impossible to implement fairly, while PD deputy Anna Ascani condemned the government for using schoolchildren as political pawns.
Minister Valditara, speaking from New York, firmly rejected these accusations. “We are not chasing Vannacci; if anything, he is chasing us,” he asserted, defending the policy as a proactive measure rather than a reactive concession. Vannacci, for his part, welcomed the measures but noted they should have been enacted years ago. Meanwhile, Matteo Salvini of the League party has used the moment to push his own separate package of measures targeting what he termed “political Islam,” further intensifying the right-wing competition over cultural policy.
The new decree builds upon a 2010 ministerial guideline that suggested a similar 30% limit “as a rule,” but crucially elevates it to statutory law. With non-Italian citizens currently making up 11.6% of Italy’s student population, the practical implementation of this cap will require significant logistical maneuvering by local school authorities.
As the decree heads to parliament for its 60-day ratification window, it will face intense scrutiny. The debate encapsulates a defining challenge for modern European governance: how to enforce integration and protect secular values without alienating minority communities or reducing complex social dynamics to simplistic political slogans.
Promise Idoko is Junior Reporter working with moderncrux He covers global politics and international affairs. Based in Nigeria,
