Meloni unveils draft law capping foreign pupils, mandating Italian for parents, banning burqa and hijab in schools

At the Fenix national youth gathering in Rome, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni disclosed that a draft decree is imminent, introducing a statutory ceiling on the number of foreign-origin students allowed in any given class. The same text would compel parents of foreign pupils who encounter significant integration difficulties to learn Italian, linking language acquisition to school admission. A further provision would outlaw the burqa and hijab within school environments.

Meloni argued that allowing foreign children to become a numerical minority in Italian classrooms undermines true integration, calling previous tolerant approaches a "convenient lie." She also used the platform to defend recent university funding increases and to criticize opposition parties over car tax and campaign-finance issues. The announcement signals a shift toward stricter cultural and linguistic standards in Italy’s public education system.