Italy has banned burqas and niqabs in schools and introduced a 30 per cent limit on students with inadequate Italian language skills in each class. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s cabinet approved the measures through a decree law on Thursday.

Meloni announced the measures on social media, saying the decree introduces “A 30 per cent cap on the number of students in a class who do not have an adequate command of Italian, more tools for learning our language, and a ban on the burqa and niqab in schools.”

The new rules also require action when a child faces serious difficulties integrating into school. Social services can be called in such cases. Parents would also have to attend free Italian language classes. Those who fail to comply could face fines of up to 1,000 euros ($1,140).

Italy has faced continued pressure over migration and integration. The issue has also become a major campaign topic ahead of next year’s general election. The government says stronger Italian language skills will help foreign students participate more fully in education.

Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara defended the new measures. He said, “inadequate language proficiency... hinders educational progress”. He also stressed the role of parents, saying, “Parental participation in their child's educational path is fundamental for academic success”.

Valditara said around 34,000 school classes in Italy currently have more than 30 per cent foreign students. However, he said most of these classes would not be affected by the new rule. The measure mainly applies to new arrivals. Foreign students born in Italy or those who attended kindergarten are generally excluded.

Italy had already set a 30 per cent limit on foreign students in a class through a 2010 ministerial memorandum. Authorities could make exceptions for students with sufficient Italian skills. They could also reduce the limit for classes with students who had poor command of the language.

The new policy has drawn criticism from child rights groups. Save the Children warned that moving children to different schools or placing them in separate institutions from their peers due to nationality or limited Italian skills could “create 'first-class' and 'second-class' students”.

Opposition leader Elly Schlein also criticised the government, calling the move “a new witch hunt at the expense of children”.

Meloni defended the ban on burqas and niqabs as a security measure. Speaking on television after the cabinet meeting, she said, “When a woman -- or worse, a young girl -- is forced to cover her face, she is being denied fundamental rights and the very integration that is so often loudly championed”.

The National Future (FN) party had called for restrictions on burqas in schools in July. The party is not part of Meloni’s governing coalition. It sits further to the right and has emerged as a major political challenger after gaining support since its launch in February.