ROME, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Italian government has approved a decree introducing a 30-percent ceiling on certain foreign students in school classes, a measure aimed at promoting integration but already drawing criticism from education unions and school principals over its necessity and feasibility.
Under the decree approved by the Council of Ministers on Thursday, the 30-percent limit applies not simply according to citizenship, but to students with foreign citizenship who have insufficient experience in the Italian school system and inadequate Italian-language skills.
In primary schools, the rule applies to students who are not born in Italy and have not attended at least two years of kindergarten. In lower and upper secondary schools, it applies to foreign students who have not successfully completed at least three years of schooling in Italy.
Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara said about 34,000 classes currently have a foreign-student share above 30 percent. He said first-generation foreign students have, on average, less Italian-language preparation and that the rate of "implicit dropout" -- failure to achieve required competencies -- is higher among foreign students than among Italian students.
"Our goal is to put the Italian language at the center as a major tool for integration," Valditara said.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni defended the measure as an effort to prevent so-called "ghetto classes," arguing that concentrating large numbers of students with limited Italian-language skills in the same classroom could hinder their integration and affect the learning environment for other pupils.
The decree also provides exemptions where the 30-percent limit cannot reasonably be met, including cases involving students' residence or family circumstances. Schools unable to comply will have access to dedicated funding for strengthening Italian-language education. The government has allocated 17.5 million euros for such schools, while additional funding is earmarked for extracurricular Italian-language programs.
Another controversial provision requires parents of children facing serious language and integration difficulties to attend free Italian-language courses arranged through social services. Parents who fail to attend can face fines ranging from 200 to 1,000 euros.
The package has nevertheless faced strong opposition from education-sector representatives.
The FLC CGIL teachers' union criticized the decree as a "propagandistic" intervention disconnected from the realities of Italian schools, arguing that it failed to address issues such as teachers' salaries and precarious employment. The DirigentiScuola association of school principals questioned whether the measure could be implemented in practice, particularly after the school year had already begun.
According to Ansa News Agency, the controversy also reflects a broader debate over whether language support and the redistribution of students should be the main tools for integration, or whether a numerical ceiling could create new administrative and logistical problems for schools in areas with high immigrant populations.
The decree forms part of a broader school package that also bans students from attending school activities with their faces covered, including by burqas or niqabs, with fines of 200 to 1,000 euros. When the student is a minor, the fine is imposed on the parents. ■