Italy Leader Giorgia Meloni Announces Plans to Limit Foreign Student Numbers, Ban Face Coverings in Schools
Updated on: September 21, 2026 / 9:58 AM EDT / CBS News
TL;DR
- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni plans to introduce a legal limit on the number of foreign students in Italian classrooms, aiming for approximately 30%.
- Meloni also announced a ban on face-covering garments, specifically mentioning burqas and niqabs, in schools.
- The proposed measures are intended to prevent Italian children from becoming a minority in classrooms and to uphold gender equality.
- Currently, students with non-Italian citizenship represent about 11.6% of total school enrollment in Italy.
- The proposed foreign student limit would be a first in Europe, while restrictions on face coverings exist in other European nations.
- The proposals will require parliamentary approval to become law.