India, on Friday, strongly advocated a new initiative to boost literacy in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria and suggested optimum funding for the education-for-all programme.
"Our strategy, which has unfortunately not been as effective as envisaged originally, has been the so-called E-9 initiative through which the nine most populous countries of the world, including India, accounting for more than 70 per cent illiterates were to be targeted," Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh said, addressing the Ministerial Round Table on Education for All at the UNESCO in Paris.
In the current context, he said, "It would seem that it may be more appropriate to consider an E-4 Initiative, covering Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Nigeria, to target those countries where the need is the greatest."
He said in the absence of funding, any programme would become meaningless. There was a need to re-examine the existing mechanisms of funding, Singh added, and arrive at a consensus on the best and most effective means of ensuring optimal levels of funding for Education For All programmes.
He said the United Progressive Alliance government has launched focused initiatives to achieve the goals of EFA and elementary education has been made a fundamental right.
"We are in the process of introducing the necessary follow-up legislation in Parliament," Singh said, adding the government was committed to gradually increasing spending on education to six per cent of GDP.
