On the road to attain six EFA goals

In 2000, at the World Education Forum in Dakar, Senegal, 164 governments pledged to achieve 'Education for All (EFA)' and identified six goals to be met by 2015.
Goal 1 - Early childhood care and education:
Expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children. Goal 2 - Universal primary education: Ensuring that by 2015 all children, particularly girls, children in difficult circumstances and those belonging to ethnic minorities, have access to and complete free and compulsory primary education of good quality. Goal 3 - Youth and adult skills: Ensuring that the learning needs of all young people and adults are met through equitable access to appropriate learning and life skills programmes. Goal 4 - Adult literacy: Achieving a 50 per cent improvement in levels of adult literacy by 2015, especially for women, and equitable access to basic and continuing education for all adults. Goal 5 - Gender equality: Eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005, and achieving gender equality in education by 2015, with a focus on ensuring girls' full and equal access to and achievement in basic education of good quality. Goal 6 - Quality of education: Improving all aspects of the quality of education and ensuring excellence of all so that recognised and measurable learning outcomes are achieved by all, especially in literacy, numeracy and essential life skills.
Governments, development agencies, civil society and the private sector have been working together to reach these EFA goals. The latest EFA Global Monitoring Report-2015 provides a complete assessment of the progress towards these six EFA goals. This well-documented UNESCO publication takes stock of whether the world has achieved the EFA goals and whether EFA partners have upheld their commitments. It also explains possible determinants of the pace of progress and identifies key lessons for shaping a post-2015 global education agenda. This editorially independent and evidence-based publication is an indispensable tool for governments, academics, researchers, education and development specialists, media and students.
The first part of the 'EFA Global Monitoring Report' focuses on the monitoring of progress towards 'Education for All' in detail. The six EFA goals have tackled an ambitious set of challenges for global education. Since 2002, the EFA Global Monitoring Reports have focused on targets indicative of progress towards each goal. Approaching the 2015 deadline, the following key findings emerge: A) While there has been some progress in universal access to education, compared to 1999 when there were 204 million out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age (or 19 per cent of the population), there were still 121 million out of school in 2012 (or 12 per cent of the population). B) The second MDG and EFA goal-2 both have envisaged all children completing a full cycle of primary education. Yet, in low and middle-income countries in 2015, one in six children will not have completed primary school. In addition, one in three adolescents will not have completed lower secondary school. C) Although it is projected that by 2015 gender parity will be achieved, on average at the global level, in primary and secondary education, 3 in 10 countries at the primary level and 5 in 10 at the secondary level are projected to be not achieving this target. D)  The adult illiteracy rate will have fallen by only 23 per cent since 2000, instead of the targeted 50 per cent, and most of the decrease is due to the transition into adulthood of larger cohorts of better-educated children. At least 750 million adults, nearly two-thirds of them women, will not even have basic literacy skills in 2015. E) Since 1990, countries' interest in improving education quality through assessing learning achievements has risen significantly. In 1990, only 12 learning assessments were conducted according to national standards; this increased to 101 assessments in 2013. The quality and availability of teacher training, scarcity of textbooks and resources, and class size remain serious challenges affecting education quality. F) Many countries have increased spending on education. Between 1999 and 2012, 38 countries increased their spending by 1 percentage point or more of national income. However, education is not a priority in many national budgets. Governments and donors have neglected to fund EFA goals outside of primary education. Effective international coordination and distribution of aid to education have been almost entirely absent.
Progress in some indicators of educational development has accelerated since 2000, with more children entering school and completing their education. For example, it is expected that by 2015 some 20 million more children will have completed primary school in low and middle-income countries than would have been the case if the pre-2000 rate of progress had been maintained. However, this report also finds that educational development continues to be unequally shared.
Disadvantaged children still lag behind their peers. For example, the probability that children from the poorest quintile of households in low and middle-income countries would not attain primary school in 2010 was more than five times higher than the corresponding probability of children from the richest quintile, a ratio that has slightly increased compared to 2000.
The last part of this well-documented EFA Report discusses a crucial issue centred on fulfilling 'Education for All'.  This chapter draws on the 'Global Monitoring Report' experience to critically assess the proposed post- 2015 education targets and offer key recommendations. The proposed education-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targets are:  i) By 2030 ensuring that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes. ii)  By 2030 ensuring that all girls and boys have access to quality early-childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education. iii) By 2030 ensuring equal access for all women and men to affordable quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university. iv) By 2030 increasing 10 per cent the number of youths and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship. v)  By 2030 eliminating gender disparities in education and ensuring equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, and children in vulnerable situations. vi) By 2030 ensuring that all youths and at least 10 per cent of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy. vii) By 2030 ensuring that all learners acquire knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship, and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture's contribution to sustainable development.
After providing an overview of post-2015 developments related to the global agenda for education, the chapter provides an appraisal of the current formulation of targets. To be used successfully, targets need to be specific, measurable, realistic and relevant. Equity issues must be clearly articulated to ensure that no one gets left behind. The last chapter also examines how the SDGs could and must improve the international context for education development to support implementation of the new agenda.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) and the World Declaration on 'Education for All (1990)' in Jomtien, Thailand, have reaffirmed 'education' as human rights issue and envisioned a new environment of international cooperation. It is true that much progress has been made since the 'Education for All' goals were established in 2000 at the World Education Forum in Dakar, Senegal. However, we need to achieve a lot more, in order to ensure quality education and life-long learning for all.
The writer is an independent researcher.
[email protected]

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EDUCATION FOR ALL
2000-2015: Achievements and Challenges,
(EFA Global Monitoring Report 2015)
Published by UNESCO
ISBN 978-92-3-100085-0,
517 pages