Ethiopian Journal

PARIS (Xinhua) -- The Paris-based United Nation's Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization Wednesday called on governments to redouble their financial and political support to achieve education for all especially after the impact of the economic crisis. 

UNESCO pointed out in its latest statement that 42 million more children in Africa are enrolled in primary school this year than in 2000, but the economic recession has pressed some governments to curtail on education funding, which is not a positive trend.

UNESCO quoted a communique released at the recent High Level Group meeting on Education for All (EFA) as saying, "national governments and donors should multiply their efforts in the current global context to safeguard the hard-own gains made in education over the last decade and offset national revenue in the world's poorest countries."

The ninth EFA meeting was held from Feb. 23 to 25 in Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, which convened several African countries' education ministers and worldwide education specialists, as well as UNESCO's Director-General Irina Bokva.

The aftermath of the global economic crisis could directly cut the public expenditures on educational systems in sub-Sahara Africa by 4.6 billion U.S. annually in 2010, said the 2010 EFA Monitoring Report published during the meeting.

According to UNESCO, there are 72 million children still out of school and will be an estimated 56 million children remaining out of school in 2015 unless the global community takes action to provide support.