ISLAMABAD, May 21: Literacy is a great freedom, while illiteracy means dependence on other people, said eminent educationist Sir John Daniel from Unesco on Wednesday.

He was speaking at the opening of a literacy exhibition at a local hotel. The exhibition was inaugurated one day ahead of the formal inaugural of ministerial meeting of South Asia Education for All (EFA) Forum.

The exhibition is being organized by Unesco and education ministry in the context of United Nations Literacy Decade for South Asia, which would be formally launched by Sheldon Shaeffer, Director Unesco, Bangkok, on May 23 in Islamabad.

Mr Daniel said South Asia was a region where about 46 per cent of world’s total illiterate population was living adding that literacy among women did affect the family and the society.

Earlier, before opening the exhibition, the expert group of South Asia Education For All Forum in a meeting stressed that the financing of elementary education should be the responsibility of the state and both national governments, and international donors need to enhance allocations for education.

About 25 delegates from seven South Asian countries and about 50 experts from donor agencies including Unesco, UNFPA, Unicef, international and national NGOs attended this meeting. The findings of Expert Group Meeting will be presented in the ministerial session to start on May 22, which is likely to be inaugurated by President Pervez Musharraf.

Najamudin Mangrio, Joint Education Advisor Ministry of Education, Ms Ingeborg Breines, Unesco Representative to Pakistan, and Shafqat Ezdi Shah, Education Secretary, spoke during the meeting.

Welcoming the delegates, Ms Ingeborg Breines felicitated the education ministry for hosting the sub-regional meeting. Unesco has extended technical and financial support to the Secretariat of South Asia EFA Forum in Pakistan for organization of this meeting, she mentioned.

Unesco will support governments and civil society organizations for achievement of six EFA goals set in the Dakar Framework of Action. Later, delegates from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Maldives made presentations on the issue of funding of EFA in their countries.

Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka have already made elementary education free and compulsory in their countries. The Indian Parliament has recently passed Constitutional Amendment No. 83, declaring elementary education a fundamental right, allowing people to go to the court if free, quality education is not offered to them by the government.

In the discussions, the participants emphasized the need for increasing allocations for basic education and making it completely free and compulsory.