More than 100 countries had developed explicit EFA goals and strategies, and it was clear that the Jomtien goals and principles enjoyed continuing widespread support. Nevertheless, it was clear that millions of people remain untouched by the optimism of Jomtien and that much of its promise remains unfulfilled. Education may be high on the rhetorical agendas of governments, but all too many commitments remain unmet. There are too few early childhood care programmes in developing countries, and in all too many countries poorly qualified teachers are still working for low pay amid deteriorated infrastructures. Some 100 million children aged 6 to 11 remain out of school, and a further 150 million, including adolescents, have dropped out without acquiring basic levels of literacy.
Gender disparities persist.
Although great strides have been made, nearly two-thirds of children who are denied their right to an education are female. Girls' education has been extensively documented as the investment that offers the largest overall returns for economic development, yet national policies do not reflect this insight. The Amman meeting redefined girls' education as the priority among priorities. Endemic poverty and gravely unequal distribution of wealth across all regions are among the uneasy legacies that we and our children inherit as we cross the threshold from one century to the next. As people are drawn inexorably to metropolitan centres, rural-urban gaps widen.