PRIME MINISTER EXPRESSES CONCERN AT ECONOMIC DISPARITIES AND GENDER GAP IN EDUCATION

DEVELOPED WORLD MUST PROVIDE FUNDS FOR ‘FAST TRACK INITIATIVE’: DR JOSHI

HIGH LEVEL GROUP MEET ON EDUCATION OPENS

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The Prime Minister, Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee, today called upon the world community to act fast to remove economic disparities and gender gap in the field of education. He was speaking after inaugurating the High Level Group on Education for All.

Apprehending that the already unacceptable divide between the haves and have-nots will further widen because of economic barriers preventing access to quality education for the masses, he argued that governments would have to ensure that quality education is brought within the reach of the common man. The difference between the poor man’s school and the rich man’s school is becoming starker with each passing year, he said.

The Prime Minister called upon the High Level Group Meeting to have detailed discussions on the issues relating to the WTO negotiations which adversely affect the campaign to realise the goal of education for all. He wanted the meet to also deliberate as to how best to protect the rights of poor children from the working of market forces.

Shri Vajpayee emphasized the need for addressing the issues relating to the gender gap in a focussed manner and come up with solutions for each of the inhabiting factors. He specifically drew the attention to the parental indifference towards girls’ education and the opportunity cost of sending girls to school which are acting as major deterrents to their education.

Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi informed that India has seen a decline in the number of illiterates by 32 million in the decade 1991-2001 despite an increase in population, and the gender gap had declined from 24.8 percent in 1991 to 21.7 percent in 2001. As against what the UNESCO’s reports say, the gender parity index has increased more than hundred percent.

Outlining the strategy being adopted for improving girls’ / women’s education, Dr. Joshi said, ‘it has been our endeavour to ensure that this focus on girls becomes a people’s programme.’ The effort is to have a flexible, micro-planned solution to the problems preventing girls from getting education, he added.

Dr. Joshi argued that the ‘fast track initiative’ for financing education programmes in 18 countries be expanded to include India owing to huge numbers involved. He reminded that the developed world had made a pledge at Dakar that ‘education for all’ campaign would not suffer in any country for lack of funds, but even today funds have not been provided to all the selected countries for the fast track initiative.

In his welcome address, DG UNESCO, Mr. Koichiro Matsuura gave an overview of global efforts in the last one year towards achieving education for all. He appreciated recent steps taken by India towards this end, especially the ambitious programmes undertaken by it and its making education a fundamental right.

The President of Kyrghystan, Mr. Askar Akayev and the Vice President of Congo, Mr. Arthur Zahidi N’ Goma delivered key-note addresses. Minister of State, Dr Sanjay Paswan, proposed the vote of thanks.

Later in the evening, Dr Joshi and DG UNESCO, Mr. Koichiro Matsuura, inaugurated an exhibition on education for all. The exhibition, which is open till 12th November at Ashok Hotel, showcases Indian and international efforts towards universalisation of education. Besides the Central Government and a number of state governments, international organisations of NGOs have put up their exhibits. Among the interesting elements of the exhibition, the prominent ones are the spread of education in rural areas and girls education. The spectrum of exhibits ranges from the ancient system of education in India to the most innovative methods of teaching being used today.

The Director General of UNESCO calls high-level group meetings every year, as provided in the Dakar framework of action for achieving the Education For All goals. The first meeting was held at Paris in 2001, and the second in 2002 at Abuja, Nigeria. The next meeting will be held in Brazil.