Cap on foreigners in classrooms, the rule already applies to new arrivals

The Italian government, led by Giorgia Meloni, has decided to expedite the approval of a decree that introduces a maximum cap of 30% on the presence of foreign students with difficulties in the Italian language in school classes. The measure, announced by the Prime Minister last Sunday and already ready for the Council of Ministers on Thursday, will apply immediately only to new arrivals in the already started school year, without disrupting already formed classes.

The decree, strongly desired by the League's minister Giuseppe Valditara, stipulates that if a school has already reached the threshold of 30% of students with Italian language problems, new enrollees must be redirected to other schools in the area. The assessment of language skills is to be entrusted to Invalsi tests. The rule does not apply to students from European countries, equated to Italian citizens, and will be accompanied by resources for Italian language courses also aimed at parents.

The proposal to limit the presence of foreign students in classrooms is not entirely new. The first cap of 30% was introduced through a ministerial circular in January 2010, during the Berlusconi government with Mariastella Gelmini as Minister of Education. However, that rule has largely remained unenforced, also because in many Italian schools the percentage of students with a foreign background is already below that threshold.

The current government, led by Giorgia Meloni, has revived and now intends to "lock in" that limit, making it law through an emergency decree. The choice of the decree instrument, which requires conditions of necessity and urgency, has raised some doubts within the government itself, to the point that initially considering the use of an ordinary bill was evaluated. The decision to proceed nonetheless with the decree signals the political will to give immediate effect to the measure, presented as necessary to promote integration through language proficiency.