From: Subject: Team India News Network :: Live News Update on India, World, Business India, Bollywood, Hollywood, Sports, Cricket, Health, Technology Date: Wed, 24 Nov 2004 11:04:35 +0100 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0057_01C4D215.62487B40"; type="text/html" X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1441 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0057_01C4D215.62487B40 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://www.teamindia.net/news/index.php?action=fullnews&id=37440 Team India News Network :: Live News Update on India, = World, Business India, Bollywood, Hollywood, Sports, Cricket, Health, = Technology
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Home >=20 World=20 News

Education needs of=20 poor people to be addressed: Experts :=20

New York, Nov = 18 :=20 Representatives from international NGOs and various experts = have=20 agreed on strengthening their cooperation to address the = basic=20 education needs of the world's biggest neglected majority - = rural=20 people.

A partnership project, discussed at a = three-day=20 meeting which ended here yesterday, will raise public = awareness in=20 Europe on the importance of education for rural people in = poor=20 countries. The project is co-financed by the European = Commission,=20 several European NGOs, FAO and UNESCO.

"Basic = education is a=20 fundamental human right in itself and an essential = prerequisite for=20 achieving the Millennium Development Goals, specifically the = first=20 two goals which focus on eradicating extreme poverty and = hunger, and=20 achieving universal primary education," FAO Assistant=20 Director-General John Monyo said.

"The gap between = urban and=20 rural illiteracy is widening and, in several countries, = rural=20 illiteracy is two or three times higher than in urban = areas," Monyo=20 said.

"Illiteracy, which is on the increase in the = developing=20 world, also means that more and more farmers will be unable = to read=20 the instructions on a bag of fertilizer or the warnings on a = box of=20 pesticide. Without basic education, rural people cannot = increase=20 their productivity, adopt enhanced technologies and improve = their=20 livelihoods," another expert Lavinia Gasperini = said.

She=20 underlined that the problem of poverty is first of all a = problem of=20 rural poverty and food security. "This has prompted FAO to = accept=20 the challenge of leading the partnership project on = education for=20 rural people and food security," she said. PTI

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