UNESCO’s — Education Goals by 2015

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. By 1950, UNESCO counted fifty-nine Member States. In 1954, the USSR became the seventieth. Between 1960 and 1962, as a result of the decolonization process, twenty-four newly created African States were admitted. But in 1984, UNESCO lost an important member when the United States, which criticized both management and policies, decided to leave the Organization. Shortly afterwards, the United Kingdom and Singapore followed suit.

Since the foundation of UNESCO, ten Member States have withdrawn at one time or another. South Africa, for example, left the Organization in 1956 to rejoin in 1994, after abolishing apartheid. All have returned with the exception of Singapore. The United Kingdom became a Member once more in 1997, followed by the United States in 2003.

(On October 3, 2003, 3 months after the Bush Administration put the United States back into UNESCO {after Ronald Reagan had removed us twenty years ago} former Bush Education Secretary Rod Paige addressed the UNESCO Round Table of Ministers on Quality Education.

Said Paige, “The United States is pleased to return to UNESCO and to participate in meetings like this. I am very pleased to see many friends from the Third Inter-American Education Ministerial in Mexico City.

There and here, we agree that we must make education a universal reality. Our governments have entrusted us with the responsibility of preparing our children to become citizens of the world. We are here to share and learn.

…When President Bush took office, he saw these problems and decided to tackle them head on through a program called ‘No Child Left Behind.’ UNESCO, through the great leadership of Director General Matsuura, knows the importance of education on a global level by coordinating the “Education for All” initiative.

‘Education For All’ is consistent with our recent education legislation, the No Child Left Behind Act.”

SIX GOALS FOR UNESCO by 2015:

SIX EDUCATION FOR ALL GOALS BY 2015
An ambitious agenda for meeting the learning needs of all children, youth and adults
1 – Expand early childhood care and education
2 –
Provide free and compulsory primary education for all
3 –
Promote learning and life skills for young people and adults
4 –
Increase adult literacy by 50 per cent
5 –
Achieve gender parity by 2005, gender equality by 2015
6 –
Improve the quality of education
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