Italy Sets Limits on Non-Italian Speakers and Veils in Schools

…individual classroom. The government decree goes into effect immediately but needs to be endorsed within 60 days in parliament, where Meloni's coalition commands a majority. Meloni wrote on social media that they are " common-sense measures that do not divide but help foster genuine integration, avoiding ghetto classrooms and giving all students equal opportunities. " The decree comes as Meloni faces mounting pressure on her right flank from a new hard-line challenger, retired army Gen. Roberto Vannacci, who has been seeking to capitalise on voter concerns over immigration and…

…primarily those with high concentrations of recently arrived students with little or no Italian-language proficiency. School principals questioned how the measure could work in areas with large migrant populations. " From an educational perspective, the issue is well-founded and valid, but it's difficult to turn it into a practical solution ," said Antonello Giannelli, president of the National Association of Principals. "We have situations in which there is a district, a neighbourhood that is mainly inhabited by immigrants and maybe there is only one…

…for the measure. They argued that the government's 14-million-euro (USD 16 million) funding package would not be enough to hire specialised language teachers and cultural mediators needed to support students. " Differences mean opportunities, and as with every opportunity, one must be able to catch it. In most cases they (foreign students) allow the class to enrich their view of the world ," said Giovanni Castagno, a 52-year-old primary school teacher in central Rome. According to Education Ministry data, students without Italian citizenship accounted for 11.2 per cent of Italy's school population in the…