Education for All: Achieving the Goal

The goal Universalize primary education and massively reduce illiteracy before the end of the decade. The challenge Today, some 885 million adults, with women as the silent majority, are illiterate. More than 130 million children, almost two-thirds of them girls in developing countries, have no access to primary education. Widely recognized 155 governments, 33 intergovernmental bodies, and 125 non- governmental organizations committed themselves to work towards Education for All (EFA) at the World Conference on Education for All: Meeting the Basic Learning Needs (Jomtien, Thailand, 1990). An expanded vision of basic education The essential skills needed for lifelong learning. Basic education has a positive impact on economic development, infant mortality rates, health, birth rates and empowerment of people, especially women. It is a key factor to transform the cultural, social and economic life of people and communities. Guided by the Education for All (EFA) Forum An international "watchdog" for continuing consultation and co- operation to keep basic education high on the political agenda and to promote action by qovernments and their partners. The Amman meeting in Jordan, 16 to 19 June 1996, is the third meeting of the EFA Forum and will examine the results of the Mid-Decade Review launched two years ago to assess how the international community is living up to its commitment to provide basic education to all people. Convened by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the World Bank.