Taranto PSI criticizes Mayor over foreign student school rules

The Taranto branch of the Italian Socialist Party (PSI) has criticized Mayor Piero Bitetti for his support of new government regulations regarding foreign students in schools. The measures include a 30% cap on students with insufficient Italian language proficiency under certain conditions, as well as a ban on the burqa and niqab in educational institutions.

The PSI argues that Bitetti’s stance is politically and ethically flawed, citing Articles 3 and 34 of the Italian Constitution to emphasize that schools should be sites of social cohesion rather than division. The party stated that there should be no ‘A-list or B-list students’ in classrooms.

Furthermore, the PSI urged the Mayor to shift his focus from these national school policies toward urgent local issues in Taranto, including the industrial crisis surrounding the former Ilva plant, municipal finances, and public service management.