ROME — New regulations introduced by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to cap foreign students in classrooms at 30 percent will likely impact only a small number of children across the country.
The decree, passed last week by Meloni's right-wing cabinet, also prohibits face coverings in schools. Critics said these measures aim to counter the growing appeal of the rival far-right National Future party ahead of national elections scheduled for next year.
Meloni characterized the decree as a common sense approach designed to support integration, stating it would "avoid ghetto classes and give all students the same opportunities."
Costanzo Ranci, head of the Social Policy Lab at Milan Polytechnic, told Reuters on Monday that the foreign pupil limit would probably affect approximately 300 children throughout Italy, a figure that would not exceed 1,000 and could even be zero.
The Italian government has not released its own estimate regarding the number of pupils who will be impacted by the new rules.
Estimates remain approximate because the decree includes exemptions for foreign students born in Italy and those who have spent substantial time in the Italian school system.
Italy's state schools, excluding nurseries, educate approximately 6.2 million students, according to education ministry data from August 2025.
During the 2024-2025 school year, about 2,600 schools, representing nine percent of the total, reported more than 30 percent foreign students, based on ministry data.
However, about 64.5 percent of these foreign students were born in Italy, making them exempt from the decree. Applying this national proportion uniformly across schools suggests only 10 state schools would remain above the new threshold.
Ranci said the measure would apply primarily to "rather exceptional situations."
