[child-rights] UNICEF urges leaders to increase commitment to education

BRUSSELS, 2 May 2007 -- UNICEF today joins political leaders and
education advocates in their call for more and faster aid for
education. The call comes at a high-level meeting focusing on the
theme 'Keeping our promises on education'. 

"In 2000, the world made a commitment to send all boys and girls to
school by 2015," UNICEF's Programme Director Alan Court said. "We are
now at the half-way mark and without the necessary commitment,
determination and resources, we will be failing millions of children
worldwide." 

Net primary-school enrolment increased considerably over the past few
years, and more girls are attending school now than before. However,
many countries -- particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia
-- are not on track to meet the Millennium Development Goals of
universal primary education and gender equality.

The meeting, held in Brussels, Belgium, at the initiative of the
European Commission, the UK Treasury and the World Bank, seeks to
obtain concrete proposals and a commitment from the international
community to step up efforts to keep the promise of sending all the
world's children to school by 2015. 

"There should be more aid that is better aligned with national
priorities and delivered at a faster rate to meet local needs in a
more predictable manner," Court said. 

While enrolment rates have increased, the number of school-age
children not attending school or dropping out remains high. 

In addition, the quality of education has not kept pace with the
gains achieved in access, and challenging questions remain about what
children are learning and how well they are being prepared for the
future. 

"Ensuring that children are healthy and receive the nutrition and
stimulation they need for their cognitive development, that they go
to school and obtain quality education in a safe environment, that
their education is not disrupted during an emergency, and that they
are prepared for the real world when they finish their education --
these are some of the challenges that we still need to address,"
Court said. 

About the conference: 
The conference on 'Keeping our promises on education' is hosted by
the European Commission and co-convened by the World Bank and the UK
Government. Further information is available on
http://www.promises-on-education.org/.