As the lead agency, UNESCO has been mandated to coordinate the international efforts to reach Education for All. Governments, development agencies, civil society, non-government organizations and the media are but some of the partners working toward reaching these goals.

 

     The EFA goals also contribute to the global pursuit of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), adopted by 189 countries and world’s leading development institutions in 2000. Two MDGs relate specifically to education but none of the eight MDGs can be achieved without sustained investment in education. Education gives the skills and knowledge to improve health, livelihoods and promote sound environmental practices.

 

-  Education For all Goals

 

     Six internationally agreed education goals aim to meet the learning needs of all children, youth and adults by 2015.

 

 

     The goal calls for better and more possibilities to support young children, and their families and communities, in all the areas where the child is growing – physically, emotionally, socially and intellectually. It also lays special emphasis on children who suffer disadvantage or who are particularly vulnerable, for example those living in poverty, AIDS orphans, rural and minority children, and in some situations girls as a whole. 

 

In a World Context

 

     Major global disparities in provision continue to divide the world's richest and poorest children. In 2006 pre-primary gross enrolment ratios averaged 79 per cent in developed countries and 36 per cent in developing countries, falling as low as 14 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa. Global disparities are mirrored in wide gaps within countries, especially between the richest and poorest children.(EFA Global Monitoring Report 2009)

 

      This should happen by 2015 at the latest. Primary schooling must be entirely free of charge and be compulsory for every child. Some groups of children need special attention, for instance those who belong to minority groups and those whose circumstances are particularly difficult.

 

In a World Context

     The average net enrolment ratios for developing countries have continued to increase since Dakar. Sub-Saharan Africa raised its average net enrolment ratio from 54 to 70 per cent between 1999 and 2006, for an annual increase six times greater than during the decade before Dakar. The increase in South and West Asia was also impressive, rising from 75 per cent to 86 per cent. In 2006, some 75 million children, 55 per cent girls, were not in school, almost half in sub-Saharan Africa. On current trends, millions of children will still be out of school in 2015 – the target date for universal primary education. Projections for 134 countries accounting for some two-thirds of out-of-school children in 2006 suggest that some 29 million children will be out of school in 2015 in these countries alone. (EFA Global Monitoring Report 2009)

 

     This goal places the emphasis on the learning needs of young people and adults in the context of lifelong learning. It calls for equitable access to learning programmes that are appropriate, and mentions life skills particularly. We should note too that EFA Goal 6 also refers to essential life skills as a desirable outcome of quality basic education.

 

In a World Context

     Governments are not giving priority to youth and adult learning needs in their education policies. Meeting the lifelong needs of youth and adults needs stronger political commitment and more public funding. It will also require more clearly defined concepts and better data for effective monitoring. (EFA Global Monitoring Report 2009)

 

     This goal calls for a certain level of improvement in adult literacy by 2015 – it says that it should be 50 per cent better than it was in 2000. The needs of women should receive particular attention. In addition, all adults should have opportunities to go on learning throughout their lives.

 

     An estimated 776 million adults – or 16 per cent of the world’s adult population – lack basic literacy skills. About two-thirds are women. Most countries have made little progress in recent years. If current trends continue, there will be over 700 million adults lacking literacy skills in 2015. Between 1985–1994 and 2000–2006, the global adult literacy rate increased from 76 per cent to 84 per cent. However, forty-five countries have adult literacy rates below the developing country average of 79 per cent, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, and South and West Asia. Nearly all of them are off track to meet the adult literacy target by 2015. Nineteen of these countries have literacy rates of less than 55 per cent. (EFA Global Monitoring Report 2009)

 

     This goal calls for an equal number of girls and boys to be enrolled in primary and secondary school by 2005 – this is what gender parity means (even though not all girls and boys may be enrolled at this stage). It further aims to achieve gender equality in education by 2015. This is a more ambitious goal, meaning that all girls and boys have equal opportunity to enjoy basic education of high quality, achieve at equal levels and enjoy equal benefits from education.

 

     In 2006, of the 176 countries with data, 59 had achieved gender parity in both primary and secondary education – 20 countries more than in 1999. At the primary level, about two-thirds of countries had achieved parity. However, more than half the countries in sub-Saharan Africa, South and West Asia and the Arab States had not reached the target. Only 37 per cent of countries worldwide had achieved gender parity at secondary level. (EFA Global Monitoring Report 2009)

 

     This goal calls for improvement in the quality of education in all its aspects, aiming for a situation where people can achieve excellence. Everyone should be able to achieve learning outcomes that are recognized and can be measured, particularly with regard to literacy, numeracy and other skills essential for life.

 

In a World Context

     International assessments highlight large achievement gaps between students in rich and poor countries. Within countries too, inequality exists between regions, communities, schools and classrooms. These disparities have important implications not just in education but for the wider distribution of opportunities in society. In developing countries there are substantially higher proportions of low learning achievement. Many essential resources taken for granted in developed countries remain scarce in developing countries – including basic infrastructure such as electricity, seats and textbooks. There are large national and regional disparities in pupil/teacher ratios, with marked teacher shortages in South and West Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. (EFA Global Monitoring Report 2009)