Education Issues High On the U.N.'s Agenda For Session on Children

By Linda Jacobson

United Nations

Providing all of the world's children with a free, high-quality primary education by 2015 and giving girls the same access to schooling as boys by 2005 were among the targets expected to be endorsed late last week at the United Nations' Special Session on Children.

The session here drew delegates from 189 countries and more than 2,000 representatives from nongovernmental organizations around the world.

Its purpose was to assess the progress made toward meeting the global goals set 12 years ago at the World Summit for Children and to agree on a plan of action— called the "outcome document"—for...