World Bank announces new education initiative

World Bank President James Wolfensohn on Thursday announced a "fast track" plan to help governments provide free basic education for all children by the year 2015, The World Bank reported. Wolfensohn told delegates at the World Education Forum that no country with a viable and sustainable plan for achieving Education for All (EFA) would be unable to implement it for lack of external resources. "Donors must be ready to respond more quickly and help countries which are ready to move to meet these goals," he said. "The World Bank has fulfilled its EFA commitments made in Jomtien (Thailand) in 1990, and subsequently in Beijing in 1995," he added. He, however, noted that there is still a long way to go since too many people are still excluded from education because of poverty, poor policies and corruption.