It did not take place in a diplomatic hall or a chamber of parliament. It was probably a conference table in Spain, with professionals who spend their working lives considering what three and four-year-olds need to grow up to be decent people. Nevertheless, the statement on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict released by the World Organization for Early Childhood Education’s Spain chapter carried far more weight than a policy memo. It’s worth pausing to consider that.
OMEP was established in 1948, most notably during the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, when the world was once again reminded of what happens when entire generations are raised in ideologies that normalize violence. Back then, the timing was intentional. The Spain statement now seems purposeful. There’s a feeling that the organization is going back to its original premise—that children’s education prior to the age of six influences the kinds of societies they create decades later—rather than responding to current affairs.
The statement may be viewed by some as overreach by a preschool organization that has no business getting involved in geopolitics. It makes sense to have that instinct. However, it misinterprets the true nature of OMEP. Nursery school teachers are not members of this trade union. It is an NGO with operations in more than 60 countries and has spent decades persuading member governments and UNESCO that early childhood education is a serious issue. In the organization’s perspective, it is the start of everything.
The Spain statement is significant for preschool policy because it raises a question that educators have been debating for a long time: can you truly teach peace without acknowledging war? The 2022 International Peace Day celebration in Tolosa was vibrant and upbeat, the kind of occasion that produces eye-catching photos and sincere speeches. However, remarks like the one regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict compel a more serious discussion about whether peace education is merely ornamental or if it poses genuine challenges to curriculum designers, school administrators, and legislators.
That question was significantly sharpened by data from the 76th OMEP World Assembly in Bangkok. A “polycrisis” was described by keynote speakers, with war, displacement, climate collapse, and democratic erosion all occurring at the same time and affecting children who are still learning how to tie their shoes. In light of this, OMEP Spain’s willingness to identify a particular conflict starts to resemble professional integrity rather than political posturing.
However, it’s still unclear if this will result in real national policy change. Although there has been some improvement in Spain’s frameworks for children’s rights, there is still a significant disconnect between the goals of the law and what actually happens in classrooms. It takes qualified teachers, a budget, and political will to implement peace education effectively, all of which tend to disappear during election cycles.
As this develops, it seems as though OMEP Spain is placing a wager on something that will last beyond a news cycle. It appears that the organization is aware that statements alone do not alter policy. However, they do alter the discourse, and sometimes that’s where the real work starts—not in the assembly halls but in the tiny rooms where educators determine what a four-year-old should know about the world they were born into.
