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2 0 0 6 Education for All EFA Global Monitoring Report Education for All Education for All UNESCO Publishing 2 0 0 6 Education for All Global Monitoring Report The analysis and policy recommendations of this Report do not necessarily reflect the views of UNESCO. The Report is an independent publication commissioned by UNESCO on behalf of the international community. It is the product of a collaborative effort involving members of the Report Team and many other people, agencies, institutions and governments. Overall responsibility for the views and opinions expressed in the Report is taken by its Director. The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Published in 2005 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 7, Place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP, France Graphic design by Sylvaine Baeyens Iconographer: Delphine Gaillard Maps: INDID Printed by Graphoprint, Paris ISBN 92-3-104008-1 ©UNESCO 2005 Printed in France Foreword This fourth annual Education for All Global Monitoring Report, produced by an independent team housed at UNESCO, invites us to give renewed and bold attention to the global literacy challenge. There are good reasons why literacy is at the core of Education for All (EFA) – a good quality basic education equips pupils with literacy skills for life and further learning; literate parents are more likely to send their children to school; literate people are better able to access continuing education opportunities; and literate societies are better geared to meet pressing development challenges. Yet literacy is one of the most neglected EFA goals. The fact that some 770 million adults – about one-fifth of the world’s adult population – do not have basic literacy skills is not only morally indefensible but is also an appalling loss of human potential and economic capacity. The Report makes a powerful case to end this neglect by affirming that literacy is a right in itself, essential to achieve all the EFA goals and critically important for development. The emergence of knowledge societies makes literacy even more critical than in the past. Achieving widespread literacy can only happen in the context of building literate societies that encourage individuals to acquire and use their literacy skills. Since its founding, UNESCO has played a lead role in defining literacy, relentlessly affirming its vital importance for development, and supporting country initiatives to expand adult learning. There has been remarkable progress over the past sixty years. The momentous challenge that persists is our collective responsibility. UNESCO is the lead agency and international coordinator of the United Nations Literacy Decade (2003-2012), which states that ‘literacy for all is at the heart of basic education for all … [and] creating literate environments and societies is essential for achieving the goals of eradicating poverty, reducing child mortality, curbing population growth, achieving gender equality and ensuring sustainable development, peace and democracy.’ We are giving the Decade concrete support through our programmes, particularly through the Literacy Initiative for Empowerment (LIFE) launched in October 2005 during the 33rd session of UNESCO’s General Conference, and more broadly, through our international coordination of Education for All, which we are endeavouring to further strengthen. The Decade is a framework for promoting international, regional and national efforts aimed at enabling millions of youth and adults to enjoy increased opportunities to acqu