
Summer University: Human Rights and Education– 3rd Edition
OIDEL, in collaboration with ERDIE (University of Geneva) and the Global Human Rights Clinic (Notre Dame Law School), is proud to announce the third edition of the Summer University. This international program aims to equip participants with tools to promote education as a universal human right both locally and globally.
Building on the success of previous editions, this course brings together UN officials, policy experts, civil society representatives, and students to engage in enriching discussions on educational pluralism, cultural rights, curriculum and assessment from a human rights perspective, global citizenship education, and much more.
Participants will also visit the UN Palais des Nations and UNESCO’s International Bureau on Education. In that way, the Summer University offers a unique opportunity for networking, gaining insider knowledge, and for understanding the workings of Iinternational human rights mechanisms.
General Information and Registration
23-26 June 2025
CHF 760
does not include any travel expenses (transport, accommodation, food, etc.)
Geneva, Switzerland
- International Human Rights Debates and Advocacy Pathways for Sustainable Education.
- Children, Parents, Civil Society: Contradicting. Approaches to the Right to Education.
- Educational Pluralism and Cultural Discussions
Faculty
Mr. Ignasi Grau is director of OIDEL and human rights expert on freedom of education and educational pluralism. Grau has authored a number of publications, including the ‘Freedom of Education Index’, ‘Educational Pluralism in the European Union: Report of 10 Educational Systems’ and ‘Towards Understanding the Global Landscape of Educational Pluralism’.
He holds a master’s degree in Policy Development from the University of Geneva, Switzerland, and a double degree in Law and Business Administration from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.
Mrs. Ashley Berner is Director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy and Associate Professor of Education. She has previously served as the Deputy Director of the City University of New York’s (CUNY) Institute for Education Policy and taught in a Jewish pre-school, an Episcopal secondary school, and an open university in Louisiana.
Harvard Education Press released her newest book, Educational Pluralism and American Democracy: How to Handle Indoctrination, Promote Exposure, and Rebuild America’s Schools, in April 2024.
Mr. Abdeljalil Akkari is a professor of International Dimensions of Education at the University o Geneva, Switzerland. Previously, he taught at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland) and the University of Maryland (USA). His research focuses on intercultural education, the analysis of educational inequalities, teacher training and the internationalization of education policy.
He is a member of the Swiss Commission for UNESCO and regularly conducts missions for international organizations.
Mr. Gerard Robinson is Professor of Practice in Public Policy and Law at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia, with a joint appointment at the UVA School of Law. His expertise encompasses K-12 and higher education, criminal justice reform, race in public institutions, and the role of nonprofit organizations in civil society.
Robinson has authored several publications, including Education for Liberation: The Politics of Promise and Reform Inside and Beyond America’s Prisons.
Ms. Kimberly Jenkins Robinson serves as a Professor of Law, Education, and Public Policy at the University of Virginia She earned her J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School, where she was Articles Editor of the Harvard Law Review. Her work focuses on educational equity, civil rights, and the restructuring of educational policies to ensure access to high-quality education.
Robinson is a prolific scholar who has published two edited books and a diverse array of articles, book chapters and editorials. In 2019, the New York University Press published her edited volume A Federal Right to Education: Fundamental Questions for Our Democracy.
Mr. Jean Marc Brissau is a Teaching Professor and Staff Attorney at the Notre Dame Law School Global Human Rights Clinic, serving as the graduate programs manager since April 2020.
Previously, he was the Haiti Program country director, leading efforts against lymphatic filariasis, and founded a school in Léogâne for underprivileged children. Brissau received multiple humanitarian awards, including a Notre Dame Presidential Award in 2010 for his post-earthquake efforts in Haiti.
Ms. Diane Desierto is Professor of Law and Global Affairs at Notre Dame Law School, where she serves as Faculty Director of the LL.M. in International Human Rights Law and Global Director of the Global Human Rights Clinic. She specializes in international law, human rights, and economic law.
Desierto has worked with the UN Working Group on the Right to Development and ASEAN, litigating cases at the Permanent Court of Arbitration and the UN Human Rights Committee.
Testimonials
"The Summer University was a transformative experience. I gained invaluable insights into human rights and connected with experts such as the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education. Because of it, I gained a deeper passion for human rights activism".

"I learnt a lot about freedom of education from a human rights perspective and about my possibilities to influence international discussions about it. Meeting with the international participants and speakers was also very valuable".
