By IRNA,
Tehran : The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and Director-General of UNESCO Irina Bokova, launched the 2010 EFA Global Monitoring Report, “Reaching the Marginalized”, at UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday.
The report was released by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural Oraganization (UNESCO) Tehran Cluster Office, a press release issued by the UN Information Center (UNIC) said here on Wednesday.
World launch of EFA GLOBAL MONITORING REPORT 2010:
The aftershock of the global financial crisis threatens to deprive millions of children in the world’s poorest countries of an education, the 2010 Education for All Global Monitoring Report warns. With 72 million children still out of school, a combination of slower economic growth, rising poverty and budget pressures could erode the gains of the past decade. “While rich countries nurture their economic recovery, many poor countries face the imminent prospect of education reversals. We cannot afford to
create a lost generation of children who have been deprived of their chance for an education that might lift them out of poverty,” said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova.
A decade has passed since world leaders adopted the Education for All goals. While progress has been made, millions of children are still missing out on their right to education. Reaching the marginalized identifies some of the root causes of disadvantage, both within education and beyond, and provides examples of targeted policies and practices that successfully combat exclusion. Set against the backdrop
of the global economic crisis, the Report calls for a renewed financing commitment by aid donors and recipient governments alike to meet the Education for All goals by 2015. While much has been achieved over the past decade, many of the countries are not on track to meet the 2015 targets. Failure to reach the marginalized has denied many people their right to education. With the effects of the global economic
crisis still being felt, there is a real danger that much of the progress of the past ten years will stall or be reversed. Education is at risk, and countries must develop more inclusive approaches, linked to wider strategies for protecting vulnerable populations and overcoming inequality.
This is the eighth edition of EFA Global Monitoring Report developed annually since 2002 by an independent team and published by UNESCO. The Report includes statistical indicators on all levels of education in more than 200 countries and territories, and serves as an authoritative reference for education policy-makers, development specialists, researchers and the media.
Since 2008, UNESCO Tehran Cluster Office along with the Ministry of Education of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Iran National Commission for UNESCO, initiated the publication in Farsi language of Global Monitoring Reports to let all those concerned by education planning and strategy in Farsi spoken countries to have access to a formidable source of comparative education. In 2010 also the new GMR will be produced in Farsi and will be available before the EFA Global Week in April 2010.
UNESCO Tehran Cluster Office has developed a very fruitful and significant cooperation with all the institutions in charge of education in Islamic Republic of Iran: the President Office, Commission of Education and Research of Majlis, High Council of Education, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Science, Research and Technology.
Among many achievements within this cooperation, in the last two years, 2008-2009, we can mention :
– Publication for the first time of GMR in Farsi in 2008 and the second Farsi volume in 2009
– National assessments and publications in the areas of education policy and management in Farsi
– Training of 50 Iranian Education Planners at national and provincial level in cooperation with UNESCO International Institute for Education Planning (IIEP).
– National and Regional meetings, workshops and trainings related to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), ICTs in education and HIV/AIDS and Drugs prevention education
– Celebration of EFA Global Week in April each year since 2004 to promote public awareness on EFA (Education for All)
-Enhancing the cooperation between Iran and Afghanistan through the organization of trainings for Afghan teachers in Iran.
These achievements demonstrate the firm commitment of the Iranian authorities responsible for education, teachers and education institutions to work together with UNESCO for achieving these global goals.
At this critical time of global financial crisis, it is more important than ever to join resources and expertise and invest in education. Investing in education is investing in a sustainable future for all.