ABSTRACT
Notwithstanding these considerable accomplishments, the objective of achieving gender parity of enrolments by 2005 was missed, and the high hopes for meeting the broader development goals for education by 2015 will turn out to have been too optimistic. Additionally, the overall enrolment tally hides many national and regional imbalances. Dropout rates from school remain high in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) – often because children enrol late and the quality of schooling they receive is low, making it difficult for parents to justify their continuation. Furthermore, achieving gender parity of enrolments remains off target in almost 70 countries – particularly in those of SSA and south and west Asia, where GPIs are often less than 90 per cent. The absence of girls from school in these cases represents a huge loss to the individuals involved, and reduced benefits for the next generation.
