Italy sets 30% cap on non-fluent foreign pupils and bans face coverings in schools

Classroom quota and language rules

The Italian Council of Ministers approved a decree on 24 September 2026 establishing a 30% cap on foreign pupils with limited Italian proficiency in primary classrooms. The regulation is scheduled to take effect from the 2027–2028 school year. It applies to children who lack Italian citizenship, were born abroad, or attended fewer than two years of nursery school in Italy. When applications exceed the 30% ceiling, regional school authorities must redistribute pupils across nearby educational centres. Parents must designate four preferred schools during registration to help authorities place students where the limit has not been reached.

Following the cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni defended the decision on social media.

These are common-sense measures that do not divide people, but help foster real integration.

Bans on face coverings and parental mandates

The decree also enacts a strict ban on face coverings inside educational facilities, prohibiting attire such as the burqa and niqab alongside non-medical masks and helmets. Students who enter school grounds with their faces covered will be subject to fines ranging between 200 and 1,000 euros. Under the new rules, schools are required to notify social services whenever a foreign student demonstrates serious language deficits or severe integration difficulties. Social services will subsequently assign free Italian language courses to both the pupil and their parents. If parents refuse to attend or fail to complete the required courses, they risk fines between 200 and 1,000 euros.

Implementation concerns and education data

School principals across northern Italy expressed concern that enforcing the 30% cap will prove challenging in municipalities with dense immigrant communities. Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara reported that roughly 34,000 school classes in Italy currently have a foreign student proportion above 30%. Valditara noted that first-generation foreign pupils often arrive with one year less of Italian language preparation compared to their peers. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini supported the initiative, stating that having too many children with poor Italian makes educational work difficult for teachers and fellow pupils.

Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara defended the language requirements during his press briefing.

Our goal is to put the Italian language at the centre as a fundamental tool for integration. Knowing Italian means integrating.

Political scrutiny and presidential review

The Democratic Party and other opposition figures condemned the decree, describing it as an ideological campaign that overlooks school building maintenance, textbook expenses exceeding 500 euros, and low teacher salaries. Critics also linked the legislation to electoral competition with Futuro Nazionale, an anti-immigration party established in February by former army general Roberto Vannacci that polls at around 8%. The new legislation reinforces a 2023 decree that penalises parents with up to two years in prison for failing to enrol their children in school. The decree-law now requires signature by President Sergio Mattarella, who voiced caution earlier this week regarding potential barriers to educational access.