Meloni government prepares decree capping foreign students in Italian school classrooms

Proposed classroom restrictions

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced plans on 20 September 2026 for a government decree that establishes a ceiling on foreign students in school classrooms. Speaking at the closing rally of the Fenix youth festival, Meloni outlined measures that also include a prohibition on the burqa and niqab in schools and mandatory Italian language instruction for foreign parents who do not speak the language. The measure follows earlier discussions initiated in August 2026 by Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara, who described the initiative as a step to prevent segregated classrooms. A similar 30% cap on pupils with limited Italian language proficiency was introduced in a 2010 ministerial circular by then-Education Minister Mariastella Gelmini under the Berlusconi government, though it frequently required exemptions by regional school offices.

Operational doubts from school heads

School leadership representatives responded with practical concerns regarding the feasibility of enforcing local enrollment quotas. Antonello Giannelli, president of the National Association of Principals (ANP), stated that while the pedagogical principle of balancing classrooms is valid, technical implementation remains difficult due to neighborhood demographics. In areas with high immigrant populations, such as the Tuscan city of Prato where Chinese families make up a substantial share of local residents, schools are required to enroll children residing in the immediate district. Giannelli pointed out that ongoing demographic declines among Italian families mean that in some districts, classes cannot form without foreign students.

The school must take enrollments of neighborhood kids, especially for kindergarten and primary school. If in that area the presence of foreigners is the majority, what do we do? Send them away?

Political clash over integration

The proposed measures prompted immediate opposition from center-left and progressive parties, including the Democratic Party (PD) and the Green and Left Alliance (AVS). AVS group leader Luana Zanella criticized the proposal as an unworkable set of bans that risks administrative disruption across school districts. AVS deputy Elisabetta Piccolotti advocated instead for reducing the overall class size ceiling to 20 students to allow for individualized instruction rather than nationality-based quotas. Education Minister Valditara rejected the opposition's stance, accusing critics of tolerating segregated classrooms.

The opposition seems to have nostalgia for 1950s Alabama and indirectly supports ghetto classes, those only for foreigners and on the other side classes for Italians.

Legal enforcement and adult education

Regarding the prohibition of full-face veils, existing Italian legislation under Law 152 of 1975 already restricts obscuring a person's identity in public spaces without justified cause. Giannelli observed that schools must ensure students are recognizable, citing similar restrictions in France. On the requirement for parents to learn Italian, the ANP noted that primary schools are organized to instruct children rather than adults, meaning dedicated funding and coordination with adult education centers would be required. Cristina Costarelli, president of the Lazio regional ANP and principal of the Galilei institute in Rome, stated that if the decree becomes law, school administrators must comply or face disciplinary action. The draft decree is scheduled for formal examination at an upcoming meeting of the Council of Ministers.