The Italian government has enacted measures to limit the number of students with inadequate Italian language skills in classrooms and ban face-covering Islamic veils in schools.
Photo : TN Innovations
The Italian government passed an order on Thursday (September 24) to restrict the number of students in each school classroom with limited Italian language skills and to outlaw face-covering Islamic veils (burqas and niqabs) in schools. As reported by PTI, Premier Giorgia Meloni’s conservative government said the package aims to strengthen integration through language learning and has received backing from right-wing allies.
While opponents, including educators, unions and opposition parties, have cautioned that students could resort to enrolling in schools far from their neighbourhoods owing to the latest provisions, critics blamed the government for turning immigration into a political matter.
With elections around the bend, expected as early as next spring, analysts have said the recent steps allow her to reestablish her standing on issues important to her conservative base, although the impact is likely to be limited and questions pertaining to how the new rules would be implemented remain to be addressed.
30% Cap Based on Italian Language Skills, Regardless Of Nationality
The latest framework would ensure that no individual classroom shall have more than 30 per cent of students without adequate Italian language skills. What’s noteworthy is that the provision would gauge how well students speak Italian, not their nationality or citizenship, and would be extended to students from other European Union countries who do not speak the Italian language.
The decree has been rolled out with immediate effect, pending formal approval from parliament, where Meloni’s coalition has a majority, within 60 days.
Taking to her ‘X’ handle, Meloni said, “Tools of common sense that do not divide, but truly help to integrate, avoiding ghetto classes and giving all students the same opportunities.