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EFAInfo 2.0 to identify who are missing out on school, and why

UNICEF and UNESCO Education Database to give policy makers evidence for action.

BANGKOK/KUALA LUMPUR, 17 August 2009 — Asia and Pacific EFAInfo, a dedicated one-stop Education for All (EFA) database goes online today to help governments better identify which of their population’s children are not in school or not learning and why.

While Asia and Pacific has made major gains towards all six EFA goals*, significant disparities persists across the region and within countries.

“We see great opportunity for this database on education to help identify and reach children who remain disadvantaged in accessing quality education, particularly those from the most marginalised communities who face the largest barriers,” said UNICEF’s Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific, Ms. Anupama Rao Singh.

“Our hope is that it will be used to create stronger links between monitoring, policy and program response for the realisation of child rights,” she added.

Helping groups most in need

Developed by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and UNESCO, the database will provide user-friendly data on population groups most in need of access to quality education.

All internationally-accepted standardised indicators as used for the monitoring of EFA and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are used in the database, together with country specific indicators for monitoring national development plans and the implementation of country-specific interventions.

The online resource also goes beyond standard education data to look at issues such as health and poverty, with data drilling below the surface to sub-national data, providing users with the ability to ‘triangulate’ analysis and look at education from multiple perspectives.

Working towards Education for All

Just over a third of the world’s countries has achieved or are on track to achieve Education for All. EFAInfo is designed to help the remaining two-thirds of countries get on a similar course.

The Asia and Pacific EFAInfo was launched today in a desktop and web-based format, available online at www.devinfo.info/efainfo. Through EFAInfo, users can access:

Internationally comparable education indicators published for regional, cross-country comparisons.
National and sub-national data indicating achievements and gaps in achievement of EFA.
Regional, country and sub-national maps for powerful and compelling presentations.
Range of development-related database, searchable by key words on issues such as education, poverty, the MDGs and other topics.

“While Malaysia has almost attained universal primary education, there are still pockets of children who are missing out on school,” said UNICEF Malaysia Representative, Mr. Youssouf Oomar. “This tool, I am sure, will help us realise the right to an education for each and every child in Malaysia!”

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* The Six EFA Goals:

Expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.
Ensuring that by 2015 all children, particularly girls, children in difficult circumstances and those belonging to ethnic minorities, have access to, and complete, free and compulsory primary education of good quality.
Ensuring that the learning needs of all young people and adults are met through equitable access to appropriate learning and life-skills programs.
Achieving a 50 per cent improvement in levels of adult literacy by 2015, especially for women, and equitable access to basic and continuing education for all adults.
Eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005, and achieving gender equality in education by 2015, with a focus on ensuring girls’ full and equal access to and achievement in basic education of good quality.
Improving all aspects of the quality of education and ensuring excellence for all so that recognised and measurable learning outcomes are achieved by all, especially in literacy, numeracy and essential life skills.