Italy proposes mandatory Italian language classes for parents of struggling foreign students

Proposal on language requirements

Italian Minister of Education and Merit Giuseppe Valditara proposed mandatory Italian language instruction for parents of foreign students who struggle academically or experience difficulties within school communities. Speaking at the conference titled 'Il coraggio di educare. Ricostruire l'alleanza tra scuola e famiglia' during the Rimini Meeting on 25 August 2026, Valditara stated that educational gains made in classrooms are frequently lost when Italian is not spoken at home. He argued that foreign parents often fail to attend school meetings or communicate with teachers, which impairs the educational development of their children. The minister stated that simple inclusion is insufficient, calling for an integration framework centered on core societal values. To support incoming students, the Ministry of Education planned the recruitment of 1,000 specialised teachers and allocated 13 million euros to fund Italian language reinforcement programs.

I will propose making the study of Italian mandatory for parents whose children are not doing well at school: you cannot lose at home what you learn at school, the fact that a parent knows our language, interacts with teachers, is fundamental; there are too many parents of foreign children who do not show up at school while this is also important.

Dropout rates and classroom distribution

Valditara pointed to large disparities in educational attainment between Italian citizens and foreign-born students. School dropout rates stand at 26% among foreign pupils compared to 6% for Italian students, a gap that the minister identified as an urgent structural problem. He pointed to classrooms where students differ by full years of prior schooling, exacerbating academic lag measured in national Invalsi assessments. Valditara warned that excessive concentrations of immigrant children in specific schools create de facto segregation, comparing the phenomenon to historical racial divides in the United States. To counter this, the ministry moved to enforce a 30% limit on foreign students per classroom, activating a 2010 directive that had previously remained largely unenforced.

Union criticism and political reaction

The proposal generated immediate pushback from education trade unions. The Flc Cgil union rejected the initiative as a punitive measure that distorts the integration process. Union representatives stated that imposing language requirements by decree treats struggling families as offenders rather than partners, risking further alienation. The announcement coincided with broader debates on immigration within the Lega party, where electoral pressure from Roberto Vannacci has prompted a firmer stance on school integration. Valditara maintained that concrete numerical rules and compulsory language acquisition are necessary to prevent the formation of isolated student groups and to ensure long-term social cohesion.

Making the study of Italian mandatory for parents of foreign pupils who are not doing well at school is not integration: it is a sanction imposed by decree, with a mechanism that risks producing exactly the opposite effect to that declared.

Curriculum guidelines and informed consent

Addressing broader educational policies at the conference and in comments to Il Sussidiario, Valditara defended new rules on parental informed consent. The minister opposed introducing gender identity concepts in kindergartens and primary schools, describing them as ideological impositions rather than standard education. He emphasized that biological sexual education continues within elementary through secondary science curricula, where polling indicates between 80% and 90% of parents support teaching bodily development. Valditara cited Article 30 of the Italian Constitution to support parental rights in guiding education. He also noted that teaching respect, empathy, and the prevention of gender-based violence remains compulsory across all subjects and within the 33 mandatory annual hours of civic education.