20 September :The Italian government has launched an initiative to ban the wearing of hijabs and burqas in schools, while also planning to impose limits on the number of foreign students in individual classrooms. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the measures are aimed at ensuring that Italian children do not feel like a minority or isolated group in their own classrooms.
Meloni announced the new initiatives at an event on Sunday, 20 September. She said Italy could not accept a situation in which its own children feel marginalised in classrooms. She also said schools must not be allowed to reach a point where Italian children become a minority and feel helpless in their own educational environment.
Under the proposed rules, foreign students would not be allowed to attend classes wearing hijabs or burqas. At the same time, the government is planning to set a specific limit on the number of foreign students allowed in each class. The authorities believe the measure could help maintain a balance between Italian and foreign students in classrooms.
As part of the initiative, the government is also considering making Italian-language learning compulsory for parents of foreign children who are struggling to adapt to Italy’s new environment and language. The government believes that creating both opportunities and obligations for parents to learn Italian could help reduce the cultural distance between foreign families and Italian society.
The proposal is expected to be presented to the Cabinet shortly. If approved by the Cabinet, the government will begin the process of turning the measures into law.
Meloni has identified preventing Italian children from becoming isolated or a minority in classrooms as a central objective of the initiative. The proposed measures also seek to encourage foreign students and their families to integrate more effectively into the local environment and language.
Source: Anadolu Agency.