MELONI: BAN ON FACE VEILS IN SCHOOLS

MILAN, SEPTEMBER 20 /SRNA-Reuters/ – Italy is preparing to ban the wearing of burqas and niqabs in schools and to limit the number of foreign pupils in each classroom, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said.

"A measure will soon be presented to the government establishing by law a maximum number of foreign pupils per class. It will also require the parents of foreign pupils who face serious difficulties integrating into the school system to learn Italian, and it will ban burqas and niqabs in schools," Meloni said at the annual gathering of the youth wing of her Brothers of Italy party.

She did not specify what the maximum number of foreign pupils per class would be.

"If there is only one child in a classroom who does not understand Italian, that child will probably be able to learn the language and integrate quickly with the help of classmates and teachers. However, if the number of children who do not understand the language becomes large, or if they make up the majority, that is no longer integration, but neglect," Meloni added.

Italy is among the European countries most exposed to migrant arrivals because of its location in the central Mediterranean.

The integration of migrants, particularly those from Muslim-majority countries, remains a contentious issue in Italian politics and society.

Debates over religious symbols, cultural integration, citizenship rules and immigration policy frequently polarize public opinion.