Italian Opposition Leader Schlein Calls Schools Decree a 'Witch Hunt' Against Children

Italian Democratic Party leader Elly Schlein has strongly criticized a government decree affecting schools, describing it as a “shameful witch hunt” conducted at the expense of children.

Schlein's comments targeted a policy establishing a cap limiting foreign pupils to 30% of a class's composition, arguing that the measure runs counter to Italy's constitutional principles, which she said guarantee that schools remain open to all students.

Constitutional objections

As head of the Democratic Party (PD), Schlein positioned her criticism around the argument that the Italian Constitution mandates open access to education regardless of a student's background, framing the 30% cap as inconsistent with that principle.

The decree has become a point of political contention in Italy, with the education ministry defending data on foreign student concentration in certain classes while opposition figures like Schlein argue that policy responses risk unfairly targeting foreign and immigrant children.

The dispute reflects broader and ongoing political divisions in Italy over immigration and integration policy as they intersect with the education system, with the government and opposition offering starkly different characterizations of the same underlying data on foreign student enrollment.