ISLAMABAD, June 16: The World Bank has identified Pakistan as one of the countries, which will receive international funding as part of the Education For All Fast Track (EFAFT) programme.

This funding will help meet the millennium development goal of providing every girl and boy with quality primary education by 2015.

Around 81 million children of the 10 plus age group are expected to become literate during the plan period upto 2015, according to an official.

Pakistan is among the first group of 23 countries short listed by the World Bank (WB) for the EFAFT. The 23 countries identified account for more than half of the world’s 113 million children not in school.

These 23 countries are a part of a larger group of 88 low- and middle-income countries, which, without special national and global efforts could not achieve the goal of complete primary education for every girl and boy by 2015.

To qualify for financing under the Fast Track, countries must prioritize primary education and embrace policies that improve the quality and efficiency of their primary education systems.

Initially, 18 countries from Sub-Saharan Africa, East and South Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, are eligible to receive additional financing to support their primary education programmes.

Some 17 million children, who do not attend school in these countries will have an opportunity to complete primary education with international assistance.

According to the WB documents, five countries: Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria have the largest number of children not in school. Together, these five countries account for 50 million of the estimated worldwide total of 113 million children out of school.

Sources said the WB and the donor community would work with these countries to address the data, policy, and capacity gaps that need to be resolved for them to be eligible for EFA grant financing support.

The WB has pledged to intensify its support for these countries so they could become eligible for financing under the fast track.