Italian teachers address school class composition and foreign student integration

The National Coordination of Human Rights Teachers is addressing debates regarding the composition of Italian school classes, specifically concerning the presence of foreign students. The discussion references a 1990 ministerial circular, issued during Sergio Mattarella’s tenure as Minister of Public Education, which suggested limiting the number of students from the same linguistic group to five per class where possible.

With current Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni revisiting these precedents, the Coordination emphasizes that current demographic and social realities differ significantly from 1990. Italy is facing a structural demographic shift, characterized by a declining birth rate and a growing resident foreign population, which has reached 5.56 million as of January 2026. The group suggests that discussions should move beyond historical administrative precedents toward a modern system for assessing student competencies.