Twice a year, OIDEL participates in the General Assembly of the European Committee of Catholic Education. In April, the meeting brought together leaders of Catholic education from across Europe, including representatives from Germany, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Lithuania, Malta, UK, Ireland and several other countries.
Dublin (Ireland), 7th of May |OIDEL and the Catholic Education Partnership convened a high-level conference at Leinster House – seat of the Oireachtas, the parliament of Ireland – under the title “Freedom of Education – The Irish Case.” The event brought together an important political representation, including 25 senators and four ministers, academics and international experts, to reflect on Ireland’s educational model and the future of educational pluralism in Europe and beyond.
Maynooth (Ireland), 6 May 2026 | OIDEL held last week in Saint Patrick’s College, Ireland, its 56th Executive Committee Meeting and 40th General Assembly, two key gatherings aimed at defining the organization’s strategic priorities for the coming years.
Within the framework of our 40th anniversary, we present this collective work, initiated by Alfred Fernandez in 2018 and brought to completion by collaborators and academics, which seeks to capture Alfred’s thinking on the right to education.
Geneva, 17th March | During the Human Rights Council session, OIDEL welcomed the report of the Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues and emphasized the importance of addressing the subtle ways in which minorities may be affected by public policies.
Brussels (Belgium), 14th January 2026 | OIDEL, in partnership with the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Group, organized a high-level event on educational pluralism at the European Parliament, bringing together Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and civil society leaders. The event was hosted by Antonella Sberna, Vice-President of the European Parliament, and MEP Mariateresa Vivaldini. Both Sberna and Vivaldini emphasized the primacy of parental rights and educational freedom in EU discussion
Brussels (Belgium), 13th-14th January 2026 | In 2025, the European Alliance for Christian Education (EACE) was officially founded as an EU lobby group, building on over a decade of gatherings under the name Brussels Considerations. Today, EACE brings together leaders of evangelical schools across Europe, representing more than 1,100 schools and 250,000 students—and the network is still growing.
Rome (Italy), 8th-11th January 2026 | Once a year, scholars from around the world gather to present and discuss the latest research and developments in school choice and educational freedom. This year’s conference, organized by EdChoice, brought together over 200 delegates.
Online signing, 19 December 2025 | OIDEL and Universidad Panamericana (Mexico) signed an academic cooperation agreement online on 19 December 2025, represented by Teresa Martínez on behalf of OIDEL, and by Universidad Panamericana through its Secretary General, Martha Alicia Rodríguez, and the Dean of the Faculty of Law, María Isabel Álvarez.
Paris (France), 11th December 2025 | UNESCO recently hosted the International Symposium on the Future of the Right to Education: Renewing Global Commitments and Charting Future Directions at its Headquarters in Paris. The event marked the 65th anniversary of the 1960 Convention against Discrimination in Education, served as the official closing of the 11th Consultation on the Convention, and included the launch of the 2025 Global Report on the Right to Education.