Brussels, 23/05/2013 (Agence Europe) - Better quality education for all. That is the watchword of the European Commission which confirmed, in Brussels on Thursday, its resolve to continue providing financial support in order to contribute to achieving that goal in the developing countries, as education is the best possible investment against exclusion, inequality and poverty. The high-level conference on education and development, organised by Andris Piebalgs, European Development Commissioner, provided an opportunity to look at the matter.
The commissioner, who is also a member of the UN panel which gives top level guidance to the preparations for establishing a global development framework of development objectives for post-2015, announced that at least 20% of the development aid budget for the period 2014-2020 is earmarked for human development and social inclusion and that up to €2.5 billion will be made available for education - an EU priority for development in the post-2015 period. Piebalgs also took the commitment, on behalf of the EU, to contribute to ensuring that, by 2030, all children of all backgrounds will be able to complete basic education and acquire basic proficiency in reading, writing and arithmetic. It is estimated that, if all children in poor countries were able to read, poverty in the world would shrink by 12%.
“I find it unacceptable that there are still 61 million children who don't have access to basic education today. As a former teacher and minister of education myself, I feel very strongly that every child has the right to a quality education, no matter where they live. (…) By helping children after primary school, we're giving them opportunities to make a living and improve their lives once they leave school”, Piebalgs said.
Androulla Vassiliou, Education Commissioner, underlined that “literacy is not just a problem in the developing world: in the European Union, 1 in 5 pupils and 73 million adults have difficulties in reading and writing. Raising the level of literacy is a priority”. The commissioners underlined how important it is to have more information, in partner countries, on how schools work, what resources are available and how they can be used to improve the quality of education and ensure responsible use of funding. Since 2004, the EU has helped 9 million pupils in developing countries gain access to primary education, but many children still often leave school without having acquired essential proficiency in the three Rs. The objectives of the UNESCO movement called “Education for All”, which are based on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), provide indicators to measure progress in terms of access, equality and level of competence. (AN/transl.jl)