Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Announces Plans to Ban Face Veils and Cap Foreign Students in Schools

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced on Sunday, September 20, 2026, that her administration will soon introduce new legislative measures aimed at reforming the country's education system regarding foreign students and religious garments. Speaking in Rome at the national festival of the youth wing of her nationalist conservative Brothers of Italy party, Ms. Meloni outlined plans to cap the number of foreign students in classrooms and ban the wearing of burqas and niqabs in educational institutions.

Addressing a receptive audience at the Gioventù Nazionale festival to a standing ovation, the Italian leader emphasized the philosophical underpinning of the proposed regulations. According to Ms. Meloni, anyone seeking to build a future in Italy must commit to understanding local culture, learning the national language, and respecting established rules. She framed these requirements as the only serious approach to welcoming newcomers into Italian society.

The proposed policy framework encompasses several distinct mandates for families and students. In addition to capping foreign student enrollment in individual classrooms, the measures would require compulsory Italian language lessons for parents of foreign students who experience serious difficulties integrating into the public school system.

During her remarks, Ms. Meloni explicitly addressed specific types of traditional garments worn by Muslim women. She detailed prohibitions targeting the burqa, an all-covering outfit, and the niqab, a veil that leaves only the eyes visible. However, her remarks did not mention or include the hijab, which is a headscarf worn by some Muslim women.

The legislative path for these proposals requires initial approval by the government cabinet before moving forward. Once approved by the executive branch, the measure must secure parliamentary approval within a 60-day window in order to officially become law in Italy.

Ms. Meloni, whose political background lies in the far-right, has maintained a consistently hawkish stance on migration throughout her career. Over the course of her tenure as Prime Minister, observers note that she has experienced a political evolution, transitioning from a nationalist political outlier to a more established figure among European Union political leaders.

The announcement comes at a notable political juncture for the Prime Minister. Earlier in September, her conservative administration achieved a significant milestone by becoming Italy's longest-serving uninterrupted government since the end of World War II.

At the same time, political analysts suggest that upcoming domestic considerations are playing a role in her legislative agenda. With a general election scheduled for the following year, Ms. Meloni is working to boost her popularity among voters. Alongside the education and integration measures, her administration has introduced other popular policies, such as providing exemptions from specific property taxes on small- and medium-sized cars and scooters.

The debate surrounding integration, language requirements, and the public display of religious garments continues to be a prominent theme in Italian politics. As the government prepares to formally introduce the measure to Parliament, further discussion is expected regarding the practical implementation of classroom caps, language classes for parents, and the scope of the veil restrictions in schools.