WASHINGTON, June 12: The World Bank on Wednesday named Pakistan and 22 other developing nations in Asia, Africa and Latin America to spearhead a struggle to educate all children by 2015.

But in an early sign of the pitfalls ahead, the bank said Pakistan and four of the other selected nations — India, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria — fell short of the minimum criteria for receiving financial aid.

Together, the five countries account for 50 million of the estimated worldwide total of 113 million children out of school.

The World Bank and donor countries would work with the five nations to help them meet the standards in data, policy, and capacity to qualify for financing support, the Bank said in a statement.

“The World Bank pledges to intensify its support for these countries so they can become eligible as soon as possible for financing under the fast track.”

Two standards were set for countries to get financing: they must have a full “poverty reduction strategy” and they must be effectively implementing an education plan that has been agreed with donors.

The remaining 18 countries, which are eligible for financial aid, were Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Honduras, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Niger, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Albania, Gambia, Ghana, Guyana, Vietnam, Guinea, Ethiopia and Yemen.

All 23 countries are part of a larger group of 88 low-and middle-income countries that need special aid to achieve the 2015 target of primary education for all, the World Bank said.

“We are making an important start here today with these 23 countries,” World Bank president James Wolfensohn said at a news conference at the Council on Foreign Relations here.

“More than 67 million children in these countries have never set foot in a classroom and many more drop out before completing even five or six years of primary school,” he added.

Wolfensohn urged the Group of Eight powers — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States — to provide the necessary cash.

“Now it is up to the G8 and other donors to follow through and provide the financing necessary to make this education fast track work. For generations to come, the children of the world will thank them for it,” he said.

The World Bank estimated that the G8, and the rest of the international community, would need to commit about three billion dollars a year in extra financing over the next 10 years to help all poor countries reach the education goal.—AFP