Meloni plans to ban burqas and niqabs in Italian schools
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has announced plans to ban burqas and niqabs in schools and limit the number of foreign students per class; the measure still needs government and parliamentary approval.
The plan
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Sunday that her government would soon bring a measure to the Cabinet banning burqas and niqabs in schools. She made the announcement at a gathering of the youth wing of her Brothers of Italy (FdI) party in Rome, as reported by Al Jazeera. Meloni also said she wants to limit the number of foreign-born students per classroom and require Italian-language lessons for parents of foreign students facing "serious difficulties integrating" into the school system. "You must go to school with your face uncovered," she said, arguing no one in Italy should be able to force a young woman to hide her face in the name of tradition.
The proposal targets burqas and niqabs specifically, not hijabs. As the Times of India explains, a burqa covers the entire body, including the eyes with a mesh screen; a niqab covers the face but leaves the eyes visible; a hijab covers the hair and neck but leaves the face uncovered.
Legal and political context
Italy has had a law since 1975 restricting clothing that hinders identification in public places, and a 2008 ruling clarified that full-face coverings may be worn for religious or cultural reasons as long as the face is revealed when identity checks are required. There has not previously been a nationwide law specifically banning burqas or niqabs in schools. The League, a coalition partner, has already submitted a bill banning face-concealing garments with certain exemptions. According to Al Jazeera, once approved by the Cabinet, the measure would need parliamentary approval within 60 days to become law.
On the classroom cap, Al Jazeera notes Italian law already limits foreign students to 30 percent per class and school, and it is unclear how Meloni's proposal would change that; foreign students currently make up about 12 percent of enrolment.
Immigration is expected to be a central issue in next year's general election, with Meloni's government — Italy's longest-serving since World War II — facing a growing challenge from the further-right National Future party.
How it compares with Europe
There is no single EU-wide rule. France (2011), Belgium (2011), Bulgaria (2016), Denmark (2018), Switzerland (2023) and Portugal (2026) have broad public bans on face coverings; Austria (2017) goes further, also banning headscarves for girls under 14 in schools from autumn 2026; the Netherlands (2019) restricts coverings only in specific settings such as schools, hospitals and public transport. Germany and Sweden have no nationwide ban. Italy's school-focused proposal is closer to Austria's approach than to France's or Belgium's blanket public-space bans.
