Meloni proposes cap on foreign students and burqa ban in schools

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announces she will submit a measure to her government to establish a cap on the number of foreign students per class in schools and ban burqas and niqabs there.

Meloni says the measure would also make Italian language lessons compulsory for parents of foreign students.

The ban applies specifically on the burqa, an all-covering dress worn by some Muslim women, and the niqab, the veil worn by the most conservative Muslim women, in which, at most, only the eyes show.

But Meloni didn't mention the hijab, the headscarf worn by some Muslim women.

If approved by the government, the measure would need parliamentary approval within 60 days to pass into law.