Europaworld 2/12/2005 Huge Challenges Remain In = Achieving Education For All.

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2/12/2005
Huge=20 Challenges Remain In Achieving Education For All

Significant progress has been made towards = achieving=20 Education for All, but huge challenges remain to be overcome = if the=20 objectives set by the world's nations five years ago are to = be=20 achieved. UNESCO Director-General Ko=EFchiro Matsuura told = yesterday's=20 opening session in Beijing of the Fifth Meeting of the High = Level=20 Group on Education for All (EFA), that even though the goal = of=20 achieving gender parity by 2005 had been missed, more girls = were in=20 school than ever before. Now the challenge is to halve adult = illiteracy by 2015 - one of the Millennium Development=20 Goals.

Some 20=20 million new students are attending classes in low-income = countries=20 in sub-Saharan Africa, South and West Asia, and national = spending on=20 basic education as well as external aid to EFA have also = risen, Mr=20 Matsuura said.

But=20 unless current trends improve, gender parity "may not be = achieved by=20 2015 in as many as 86 countries." Moreover, 18 per cent of = the=20 world's adults were still illiterate, and it was also clear = that the=20 quality of basic education remained low and would not lead = to=20 meaningful learning outcomes unless tackled with renewed = vigour, he=20 added.

The UNESCO chief welcomed the pledge by = Chinese=20 Premier Wen Jiabao, who opened the meeting, substantially to = increase China's contribution to education development = throughout=20 the world so as to accelerate progress toward the EFA goals. =

Mr. Wen=20 pledged to train 1,500 teachers from developing countries = annually=20 over the next three years, donate 100 experimental rural = schools to=20 developing countries over the same time, and increase the = number and=20 value of scholarships and university places for students = from=20 developing countries to 10,000 annually.

He also=20 promised to increase financial support for developing = countries hit=20 by natural disasters and to grant $1 million in aid to = pertinent=20 research and training projects undertaken by UNESCO's = International=20 Institute for Capacity-Building in Africa and the UNESCO=20 International Centre for Girls and Women's Education in = Africa.=20

This=20 year's meeting, bringing together ministers of education,=20 co-operation and development, the donor community and other=20 intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations, will = focus on=20 the goal of halving adult illiteracy by 2015. It will also = work on a=20 Joint Action Plan to stimulate action on the EFA goals and = to offer=20 better and more concrete support at the national level to = achieve=20 them.