India has made big gains in child education in past 15 years, says UN

NEW DELHI: India has made significant strides in the past 15 years, but remains far from reducing adult illiteracy.

A Unesco global education report that human resource development minister Smriti Irani would release on Thursday has revealed this.

The report said gross enrolment ratio in pre-primary education touched 58% in 2012, compared to 19% in 1999. Primary education net enrolment ratio reached 99% in 2012.

India has reduced its out-of-school children by over 90%. Globally 52% of countries including India achieved universal enrolment in primary education.

India is predicted to be the only country in South and West Asia to have an equal ratio of girls to boys in both primary and secondary education this year.

Unesco's Global Monitoring Report (GMR) director Aaron Benavot praised India for making exemplary progress in helping children gain access to pre-primary and primary education since the global education goals were set in 2000.

"India's example clearly shows that with sufficient political will and resources the world can step up to meet the new education targets by 2030," said Benavot.

"To achieve global change in promoting a more sustainable future, all governments, including India, must mobilize new resources for education. International partners must ensure that aid is distributed to those most in need."

Globally, just one-third of countries have achieved all of the measurable Education for All (EFA) goals set in 2000.

Only half of all countries have achieved the most prominent goal of universal primary education. Now, new education targets are being set for 2030.

An extra $22 billion a year is needed apart from ambitious government contributions to ensure goals are achieved.

These are the key findings of Unesco's 2015 EFA Global Monitoring Report 'Education for All 2000-2015: Achievements and Challenges' which has tracked progress on these goals for the past 15 years.

The report would be released one month before the World Education Forum in Incheon (Republic of Korea).

It said 20% of countries were very far from the goal of expanding early childhood care and education.

While, for the goal towards universal primary education, 38% are far or very far from achieving it, leaving almost 100 million children without primary education.

A lack of focus on the marginalized has left the poorest five times less likely to complete primary education than the richest. Over a third of out-of-school children are living in conflict zones.