UNESCO has published the Education For All Global Monitoring Report 2000 – 2015. The Report takes stock of the progress and challenges in the implementation of the six education goals, adopted in 2000 at the World Education Forum in Dakar, Senegal (“The Dakar Framework”). The seminal event was opened by UNESCO Director-General, Madam Irina Bokova, who was keen to emphasise the persisting, categorical need for more investment and commitment to lifelong education: “Despite not meeting the 2015 deadline, millions more children are in school. However, we need to see specific, well-funded strategies that prioritise the poorest – especially girls – [and] improve the quality of learning and reduce the literacy gap so that education becomes meaningful and universal.” While enrolment in lower secondary school has increased globally by 27% (and more than doubled in sub-Saharan Africa) since 2000, there are still 63 million out-of-school adolescents worldwide. Marginalised children – including those from rural, migrant or weak socio-economic backgrounds – face substantial barriers in accessing and completing secondary education. Increasing the benchmark from universal primary education to universal secondary education is critical to ensure that all students have the foundation skills – including literacy and numeracy – to access the job market, become active citizens, and realise financial independence.
Download the EFA GMR report in full here.
