The number of primary school going children has increased sharply since 2000 and there are more number girls in school than ever before, according to the sixth edition of the Education for All Global Monitoring Report, which was released by the UNESCO.
But on the down side, the cost of schooling, quality of education and persisting high-levels of adult literacy are undermining the chances of achieving education for all by 2015. The report shows that primary school enrollment has been increased by 36 percent in sub-Saharan Africa and 22 percent in South and West Africa between 1999 and 2005. Government in 14 countries have reduced tuition fees of primary school, which is favorable for the most disadvantaged children. The number of out-of-school children dropped sharply from 96 million in 1999 to 72 million in 2005. More than 17 countries have achieved gender parity in primary education in the period of 1999 and 2005. These include Ghana, Senegal, Malawi, Mauritania and Uganda; 19 reached parity at secondary level, including Bolivia, Peru and Viet Nam. As a result, gender parity in education was achieved in 63% of countries at the primary level and 37% at secondary level in 2005. The EFA Global Monitoring Report is an annual publication prepared by an independent team based at UNESCO.
