Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced on Sunday that she will introduce a law establishing a 'maximum number of foreign students per class' and 'banning the use of niqab and burqa in schools.'
Speaking at an event organized by her party Fratelli d'Italia's youth wing, Gioventù Nazionale, Meloni stated that the proposed measure includes legislatively limiting the number of foreigners in classes, requiring parents of foreign students with serious integration problems to study Italian, and prohibiting the wearing of burqa and niqab in educational institutions.
According to Meloni, it is unacceptable for Italian children to feel cornered in an Italian classroom because they constitute a minority. She emphasized that in Italy, no one, regardless of traditions, can decide what a young woman must conceal her face with, insisting that gender equality is non-negotiable.
Furthermore, Meloni reported that vocational training institutions will be renamed 'institutes' so that 'it is clear from their names that they are schools of equal value and that the people who attend them have equal worth.'
Regarding education, she criticized the practice of general grading, arguing that a school for all must be able to recognize both achievements and shortcomings, motivate those ahead, and support those who are struggling. However, by striving to give everyone a 'pass,' merit is underestimated, and gaps are found, which harms both those who need motivation and those who need support.
The Prime Minister noted that the primary task of a school is to assess the child, teach them that judgment exists, that mistakes are useful for growth, and that education and respect are based on rules, not on their negation.
Meloni also announced that her government has increased 'standard university funding to the highest level ever achieved, with a fund of 9.4 billion euros, which is 25% more than in 2019.'
