Italy approves school rules on foreign pupils and veils

Under the new rules, classes can be limited to 30% foreign students who do not have sufficient Italian schooling or language experience. Children born and raised in Italy, or those with several years of Italian schooling, can be exempt. The measures are expected to apply from the 2027-28 school year.

The government also said parents of students with persistent integration or language problems could be required to attend free Italian language courses, with fines possible for non-compliance. Meloni described the rules as “commonsense measures that do not divide but genuinely help to integrate,” according to The Guardian.

Opposition parties and rights groups denounced the plan as discriminatory. Democratic Party leader Elly Schlein called the decree “shameful,” arguing the government should instead focus on school infrastructure, textbook costs and teacher pay. Campaigners said Meloni was hardening her rhetoric on immigration as newer far-right parties press her from the right.

The ban on burqas and niqabs in school activities adds a cultural flashpoint to an already charged migration agenda and could deepen tensions with immigrant communities. It also underscores how Meloni is using policy to manage a political risk: if she appears too soft on immigration, she risks losing voters to harder-line rivals; if she tightens further, she risks backlash from moderates and EU critics.

For markets, the story is less about an immediate asset-price move than about Italy’s policy direction and political risk premium. Persistent immigration friction can complicate social cohesion and workforce integration, both important for an economy with weak trend growth and chronic labor constraints.

The next test is political, not legislative: whether the measures strengthen Meloni’s hold on right-wing voters or widen resistance as the election cycle approaches and debate over migration, schools and public services intensifies.