Last Updated:
Meloni Wants Ban On Burqa, Niqab In Schools, Legal Cap On Number Of Foreign Students: The proposal is yet to be approved by the Italian Cabinet. Do other countries have such rules?
Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni (AFP file photo)
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has announced a proposed legislative package that will ban full-face coverings such as burqas and niqabs in schools, set a legal cap on the number of foreign students in individual classrooms, and require mandatory Italian language lessons for parents of foreign students experiencing severe integration challenges.
The proposal still requires approval from the Italian Cabinet and subsequent passage by parliament within 60 days to become law.
WHAT THE PLAN PROPOSES
- Prohibits wearing the burqa (an all-covering dress) and niqab (a face veil showing only the eyes) inside schools. It does not ban the hijab, which leaves the face uncovered.
- Sets a legal limit on the maximum number of foreign students allowed per classroom.
- Requires parents of foreign children who face major integration or language hurdles in the school system to take compulsory Italian lessons.
THE REASON
Meloni stated that anyone building a future in Italy must respect local ruleslearn the language, and understand the culture, framing these steps as a serious and proper way to handle immigration.
Meloni argued that if too many students do not understand the local language, it results in “neglect” rather than integration, stating that Italian children should not feel like a minority in their classrooms.
The measures align with her right-wing party’s broader push against what they characterize as cultural separatism and religious radicalization in public spaces.
HAS ANY OTHER COUNTRY DONE THIS?
A variety of countries across Europe, Asia, and Africa have previously enacted full or partial face-covering bans. However, when it comes to capping foreign students, Italy is the first European country to propose a legal limit on foreign children in standard school classrooms, whereas other nations typically apply international student caps to higher education (universities).
Here is how other countries approach these two policies:
1. Countries with Niqab and Burqa Bans
Over 24 countries have introduced legal restrictions on full-face coverings. The scope ranges from strict bans in all public spaces to localized bans restricted to schools and government offices.
REGION-WISE DATA
Europe
Fully Banned in Public Spaces: France (first in 2010), Belgium, Bulgaria, Austria, Denmark, Switzerland.
Banned Partially / In Educational & Public Buildings: The Netherlands (schools, hospitals, public transit), Luxembourg, Norway (schools and universities).
Asia & Middle East
Fully Banned in Public Spaces: Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka.
Banned Partially / In Educational & Public Buildings: China (restricted in Xinjiang), Tunisia (government buildings), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan.
Africa
Fully Banned in Public Spaces: Chad, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Cameroon (enacted mostly due to security and suicide bombing threats).
Banned Partially / In Educational & Public Buildings: Morocco (banned the manufacturing and sale, but not explicitly the individual wearing of it), Senegal.
2. Countries with Foreign Student Caps
While Meloni’s plan targets mandatory primary and secondary school classrooms to force integration, global “foreign student caps” are traditionally used by governments to manage migration, housing, and institutional funding at the university level:
Canada: The federal government operates a strict nationwide international student intake cap. It allocates a specific limit of study permits to each individual province, which then distributes those quotas among their universities and colleges.
Australia: The Australian government manages migration pressures using an international student visa cap system. For instance, a hard limit of 295,000 new international student visas was established for the 2026 academic year.
United States: Under the Trump administration’s foreign student visa overhaul, the White House introduced a targeted “Compact for Academic Excellence” policy. It pressures specific universities to tie their federal funding to a cap limiting international undergraduates to 15% of the campus total, and no more than 5% from any single country.
The Netherlands: Dutch universities have repeatedly petitioned their government for the legal right to enforce enrollment caps on foreign students in specific courses. This is to prevent English-taught programs from completely overwhelming local campus capacities and student housing.
Hong Kong: The government dictates precise non-local student body limits for publicly funded undergraduate universities. The undergraduate cap sits at 40%, up from a previous 20% limit.
Quick Answers
Ask News18Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has proposed a legislative package to ban full-face coverings like burqas and niqabs in schools, set a legal cap on foreign students per classroom, and mandate Italian language lessons for parents of foreign students experiencing severe integration hurdles.
Ask News18About the Author
At the news desk for 20 years, the story of her life has revolved around finding pun, facts while reporting, on radio, heading a daily newspaper desk, teaching mass media students to now editing speci…Read More
September 21, 2026, 12:21 IST
Read More
Source link
[ad_3]
