This edition of the EFA Global Monitoring Report 2010, Reaching the marginalized, comes at a time of great uncertainty. We are still grappling with the far-reaching impact of the global financial and economic crisis not only on the world’s banking systems, but on all areas of human development – including education. We are at a crossroads. Either we continue with business as usual and risk undoing the considerable progress made over the past decade, or we use this crisis as an opportunity to create sustainable systems which promote inclusion and put an end to all forms of marginalization.

The gains achieved since the Education for All and Millennium Development Goals were adopted in 2000 are undeniable: great strides have been made towards universal primary education, increased participation in secondary and tertiary education and, in many countries, gender equality. More widely, there have been improvements in overcoming hunger, poverty, and child and maternal mortality. The global financial crisis could radically change all this. Reaching the marginalized demonstrates that declining government revenue and rising unemployment now pose a serious threat to progress in all areas of human development. Government budgets are under even greater pressure and funding for education is especially vulnerable. So are poor households. Rising poverty levels mean that the challenge of meeting basic human needs is a daily struggle. Lessons from the past teach us that children are often the first to suffer – as is their chance to go to school.

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It started as a dare. When MIT Media Lab visionary Nicholas Negroponte promised to bring affordable computing to children in developing countries with the One Laptop Per Child project, India’s HRD ministry rejected the idea.

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The Uttar Pradesh government has unearthed a multi-crore racket in disbursement of scholarships to Scheduled Caste students in educational institutions in the state. The racket involves hundreds of engineering, medical, dental and management colleges that have mushroomed over the past few years in several parts of the state.

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The alleged rape of a class XI student of Parkwood International School by its director, might have shocked the city. But activists dealing with child and youth issues claim that sexual harassment in schools are alarmingly on the rise.

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While the efficacy of the Right to Education Act is being debated, the legislation has had an impact on marginalised sections of society. Says Ashok Agarwal, advocate and advisor to a civil rights group, “When the Act came into force around four months ago, we were expecting a slow response from society since it takes time to spread awareness about any new legislation. But from April we have received 200 applications where children and their parents are demanding admission under the Right to Education Act; 70% are from the Muslim community and out of that, 90% of the applicants are women.”

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India and the UK will be signing a 5 million pound-deal this week to collaborate in the field of education. A key part of British Pime Minister David Cameron’s India visit, the collaboration facilitated through the UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI) will see the two nations joining hands to set up new institutes, drive in skill development programmes, hold leadership programmes and work on quality assurance of courses offered to students.

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Slamming the Uttar Pradesh government for demanding funds for implementing Right to Education Act in the state, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal on Sunday said the Congress would ensure education to all after it comes to power in the state in 2012 Assembly polls.

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Several ambitious projects launched by the UPA government under the 11th Five Year Plan may get delayed or axed as large spending cuts are likely to come into force. Thanks to the fact that the economy did not grow at the expected rate of over 9%, most ministries, barring two or three, are gearing up to shelve some of their projects.

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