Italy to ban veils in schools, limit foreign students per class, Meloni says

Debates over religious symbols, cultural integration, citizenship rules and ​immigration policy frequently polarise public opinion. "A measure will soon be presented to a ​Cabinet meeting to legally establish a maximum number of foreign students per class.

It also requires parents of foreign students facing serious difficulties integrating into the school system to ​learn Italian and bans burqas and niqabs in schools," Meloni ​annual gathering of the youth wing of her Brothers of Italy party.

Read More:Mosque vandalised with swastikas, hate messages in Belgium"If there is ‌only ⁠one child in a class who doesn't understand Italian, that child will likely be able to learn the language and integrate quickly with the help of classmates and teachers.

However, if the number of children who don't understand ​the language becomes ​large - or even ⁠the majority - that is no longer integration; it is neglect," she added. Meloni did not specify what the maximum number ​of foreign students per class would be.

Students who are ​not Italian ⁠citizens account for 11.6% of those enrolled in Italian schools — nearly 12 in every 100 students —, a research institution.

"You must go to ⁠school ​with your face uncovered, and in Italy ​no one, in the name of a real or supposed tradition, can decide that a young ​woman must hide herself, " Meloni said.