OIDEL - A PRESENTATION (print version)

OIDEL is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation, recognised as a public interest association under Swiss law. It has consultative status with the United Nations, UNESCO and the European Council. Its aim is the promotion and creation of novel educational models and policies, as well as new financing options for schools.

At OIDEL, we are convinced that freedom of education rests on three basic principles:

- the parents' right to choose a school for their children
- the existence of a genuine diversity of schools
- the possibility for members of civil society to create and manage independent schools

The prime objective of OIDEL is the promotion of the right to education as a fundamental human right. Such a right cannot exist without the presence of State benefits and the protection of individual liberties. This is why OIDEL focuses its efforts on the promotion of the freedom of education. We are convinced that this right is a human right that characterises a democratic society.

OIDEL promotes both a greater parity between public and private schooling systems, and the implementation of a genuine pluralism within the public educational system. This implies involving the responsibility of all those acting in the field of education .

To attain these goals, OIDEL collaborates with experts across the globe, thus acting as an international observer of educational policies in the world. It also actively collaborates with international organisations and governments to promote greater freedom of education worldwide.

OIDEL also proposes training programmes in the field of human rights, notably through its daughter organisation, the Summer University on Human Rights and the Right to Education (SUHR).