School decree in the Official Gazette: details on thresholds and penalties

The decree-law on Schools, which was reported this morning as having been signed by the President of the Republic, was published in the Official Gazette on October 1 as number 170, dated September 30, 2026. The publication reveals the detailed contents of the measure, which the statement from the Presidency of the Republic had previously only outlined in general terms.

The most clearly defined point concerns the cap on foreign students in first-year classes: the text sets, starting from the 2027/2028 school year, a 30% limit for students without Italian citizenship who lack prior multi-year school attendance in Italy. The threshold is therefore not immediate but takes effect in two school years’ time, a timing detail that this morning’s report did not specify.

For schools unable to comply with the limit in their reference territories, the decree establishes a fund for extracurricular Italian language enhancement courses. According to the ANSA news agency, the funding allocated for these activities amounts to 17.5 million euros.

The text published in the Official Gazette also contains a measure that had not previously been reported: the ban on conducting school activities with a covered face. Those who violate the ban by wearing a burqa or niqab face an administrative penalty ranging from 200 to 1,000 euros.

The question of the differentiated application of the 30% cap between primary school on one hand and middle and high schools on the other remains open in the debate reported by the press, having already been flagged as one of the most contentious points of the measure. The decree must now be converted into law by Parliament, where the government has already authorized the submission of the conversion bill.