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52 EFA Mid-Decade Assessment6EFA Goal Five: Achieving Gender Parityand Equality6.1 Identification of IssuesPresenter: Maki Hayashikawa, UNESCO BangkokCountries in the Asia and Pacific region met in January 2000 and, in considering theEFA 2000 Assessment results, stated that:“It is essential to eliminate systemic gender disparities, where they persist,amongst girls and boys, throughout the education system – in enrolment,achievement and completion; in teacher training and career development; incurriculum, and learning practices and learning processes. This requires betterappreciation of the role of education as an instrument of women’s equality andempowerment.”At the World Education Forum held later that year in April 2000, governments fromaround the world agreed upon specific targets to close the gender gap and achievegender equality. Under Education for All (EFA) Goal 5, participating nations committedto:“Eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005, andachieving gender equality in education by 2015, with a focus on ensuring girls’ fulland equal access to and achievement in basic education of good quality.”How gender-responsive are our schools and education systems now, in 2005, and howfar along are countries in this region towards achieving gender equality by 2015?Initially, when UNESCO Bangkok began discussing addressing EFA Goal 5 withcountries in the region, the response to this question in many cases was, “We don’thave gender issues here.” Looking at gender parity indices based on net enrolmentratios, it can be seen that apart from several countries across the region, othercountries – those largely from Central Asia and South-East Asia – have relatively highgender parity indices.Relatively equal enrolment ratios between boys and girls were the basis for manycountries to feel that gender issues had been addressed and the goal therefore met. Itwas often assumed that no further action was needed in this area.Education for All: Reaching the Unreached