Italy's Meloni Announces Plans to Ban Face Coverings in Schools and Cap Foreign Students Per Class, Framing Measures as Integration Policy Ahead of 2027 Election

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced on September 20, 2026 plans to ban face-covering garments including burqas and niqabs in schools and to cap the number of foreign students allowed per class. Speaking at a youth event organized by her Brothers of Italy party, Meloni said students must go to school with faces uncovered and that in Italy no one, in the name of a real or supposed tradition, can decide that a young woman must hide herself. She framed equality between men and women as non-negotiable. The proposed ban would target only garments that cover the face, not all forms of Islamic head covering. Meloni also said the government would bring legislation to cap foreign students per class, arguing that if there is only one child who does not understand Italian in a classroom it is possible that child will manage to learn the language and integrate quickly, but if these children are many or even the majority, that is not integration anymore. Italy is among European countries most exposed to migrant arrivals because of its central Mediterranean location, making migration a hot-button issue and major challenge for successive governments. Integration of migrants, particularly from Muslim-majority countries, remains contentious in Italian politics and society. The measures require approval by the Council of Ministers and then parliamentary action before becoming law. Immigration is expected to be a central issue in Italy's 2027 general election. The Meloni government, which took office in October 2022, became Italy's longest-serving government in the history of the Italian Republic in September 2026. Meloni is facing a growing challenge from parties further to the right of her own Brothers of Italy party ahead of the election.