Italy's School Decree Draws Charges of Election-Year Division

The Italian government has approved a decree law that bans the burqa and niqab in schools and caps the number of pupils with a poor command of Italian in any one class, a measure the BBC reported was agreed by ministers on Thursday. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described the package as "common-sense tools that do not divide but really help to integrate", according to the BBC.

The Guardian reported that critics accuse Meloni of "running scared" and of ramping up divisive rhetoric to court far-right voters ahead of next year's general election. The New York Times said the stated goal was to better integrate non-Italian-speaking children, but that critics accused the prime minister of trying to appease anti-immigrant sentiment.

The measure is a decree law, which under the Italian constitution takes effect immediately and must later be converted by Parliament within a set period or lapse. Foreign coverage has focused less on the classroom mechanics than on the timing, with next year's vote as the backdrop.