India on cover of UNESCO report on education

Two girls are sitting on the ground in a classroom devoid of desks and chairs and listening in rapt attention to their teacher.

This scene from a school in India is on the cover page of the 2008 Education for All Global Monitoring Report of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation that was released on Friday.

"The cover of this new edition features two girls at a school in India. They do not have desks or chairs, but the vivid concentration on their faces expresses a determination to learn," UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura said.

India figures close to the bottom of the pile in the ranking of countries in the report in terms of being capable of achieving the goal of 'Education for All' by 2015.

However, the country has come in for praise for the efforts it has made in the new century to eliminate illiteracy.

"India is among the countries that have made remarkable strides since 2000 towards EFA, with a range of targeted initiatives that reach disadvantaged children, youth and adults across the country," he said.

The report mentions noteworthy progress has been made in India with regard to girls' access to primary school.

India's main achievements, as per the report, include improvement in primary education coverage, significantly improved adult literacy and gender parity and better quality of learning.

The Edusat, a satellite-based system for taking education to remote corners of the country, also came in for praise in the report.