ROME: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has announced plans to prohibit face coverings such as burqas and niqabs in schools, while also proposing a legal cap on the number of foreign students permitted in each classroom.
Speaking at Fenix, a youth event organised by her Brothers of Italy party in Rome on Sunday, Meloni said a measure containing the proposed provisions would soon be presented to the Council of Ministers.
"So, a measure is about to reach the Council of Ministers that legally introduces a limit on the number of foreign students per class. A maximum number, clearly. And that's not all. It also introduces an obligation for parents of foreign students with severe integration issues at school to learn Italian and introduces a ban on burqas and niqabs in schools," she said.
The Prime Minister said the measures were aimed at ensuring that people coming to Italy to build their future learn the Italian language, understand the country's culture and respect its rules.
"For us, anyone who comes to Italy and wants to build their future here must learn our language, know our culture, and respect our rules. It is the only serious way to welcome people," she added.
On the proposed ban on face coverings in schools, Meloni said students should attend school with their faces uncovered and linked the measure to gender equality.
"Because you go to school with an uncovered face and because in Italy, no one, in the name of a real or presumed tradition, can decide that a young woman must hide herself. Gender equality is non-negotiable-not on our streets, and not in our schools," she said.
Meloni also said parents of foreign students experiencing severe difficulties with integration into the Italian school system would be required to learn Italian. The government has not yet specified the maximum number of foreign students that would be permitted in an individual class. (ANI)
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