Madrid (Spain), 1st October 2024
In collaboration with Fundación Civismo and Fundación Ciudadanía y Valores (FUNCIVA), OIDEL presented the Freedom of Education Index 2023 to 120 attendees at the Spanish Congress of Deputies. This report, which evaluates educational pluralism in 157 countries, covers 98% of the world’s population and offers a comprehensive analysis of the state of educational freedom worldwide.
The event was chaired by deputies Nacho Martín Blanco and María del Mar González Bella. During the presentation, Ignasi Grau, Director of OIDEL, emphasized the importance of education as a fundamental human right, recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He stressed the parents’ preferential right to choose their children’s education, noting that “the polarization of the public debate around parental rights” is an increasing concern, according to the latest PISA report. He added, “Freedom of education is a good indicator of how much trust governments place in their citizens,” and that “the defense of educational freedom should not be a matter of right or left, but of human rights.”
Teresa Martínez, President of OIDEL, highlighted that the Freedom of Education Index is essential for assessing the state of educational rights globally. According to Teresa, “Freedom of education is not limited to the existence of non-governmental schools but also includes the ability of parents to choose an education that reflects their values.” Martínez also pointed out that although progress has been made in many regions of the world, some countries still do not recognize this right, which poses a challenge to developing a more inclusive society that respects educational diversity.