Italy Banned Muslim Burqas in Schools

The Italian government has approved a ban on wearing Muslim burqas and niqabs in schools, and also limited the proportion of students who do not have a good command of the Italian language in classes — it should not exceed 30%, writes the BBC.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called these measures "reasonable steps that do not divide, but truly help integration."

"One must come to school with an open face," Meloni stated, announcing the government's plans on Sunday.

She added that no one has the right to decide for a girl that she must hide her face, citing traditions.

Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara stated that the established limit is "exclusively linguistic," not civic. He presented the ban on niqab and burqa as a measure aimed at ensuring gender equality.

The ban applies to burqa and niqab, which cover the face, but not to the hijab, which leaves the face open. A niqab covers the face, except for the area around the eyes, and is usually worn with a headscarf. A burqa is a full-body garment that covers the face and body; a mesh insert is usually found in the eye area.

Павялічыць

According to data from the Fondazione ISMU research center, students without Italian citizenship make up 11.6% of all schoolchildren in the country. The 30% limit rule will be applied differently depending on the level of education.

In primary school, it will apply to children without Italian citizenship who were born outside the country or did not attend kindergarten for at least two years. In middle and high school, it will apply to students without Italian citizenship who have not successfully completed at least three years of education in the Italian education system.

Local education authorities will have to more evenly distribute students with insufficient knowledge of Italian among nearby schools. Where this is not possible, exceptions and additional Italian language classes are provided. As Valditara put it, the goal of this measure is to avoid the emergence of so-called "ghetto classes."

The bill also concerns the parents of schoolchildren.

According to the Ansa news agency, schools will be obliged to report to social services cases where a persistent language barrier among parents or other persons with parental responsibility impedes a child's integration. Parents will also be offered free Italian language courses.

The opposition believes that the new measures are dictated more by political considerations than by the interests of schools. Its representatives accuse the Meloni government of trying to pander to Roberto Vannacci — a retired general who heads the far-right party Futuro Nazionale ("National Future") and is perceived as a threat to the right flank of the ruling coalition.

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