An exhibition entitled "Education for All" (EFA) opened at the Beijing Hotel on Sunday afternoon. The exhibition, a side event and prelude to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) Fifth High-Level Group Meeting on Education for All, scheduled to take place in Beijing from November 28 to 30, showcases the achievements in EFA in China and elsewhere, according to Chinese Vice Minster Chen Xiaoya of Education, who chaired the inauguration ceremony.

"We hope this exhibition serves as a platform for mutual exchange, promotion and support of EFA," Chen said.

In line with the theme of the upcoming UNESCO meeting, "Literacy with a special focus on education for rural people", the exhibition focuses on the progress China has made in improving literacy, distance learning in rural primary and middle schools, education for ethnic minorities and special education for the disabled from 1991 to 2004. UNESCO first introduced the concept of "education for all" at a conference in 1990.

The exhibition also traces global development of rural human resources, reviews the goals of EFA, points out global challenges to achieving EFA through words, photos, tables and charts.

Chinese Education Minister Zhou Ji and Director-General Koichiro Matsura of UNESCO officiated the ribbon cutting.

Also present were Chinese Vice Minister Zhang Xinsheng of Education and Dr. Musa Bin Jaafar Bin Hassan, president of the 33rd UNESCO General Conference and permanent delegate of the Sultanate of Oman to UNESCO.

The exhibition ends on November 30.

The annual High-Level Group Meeting on Education for All gathers heads of state, education ministers or ministers of international assistance, and CEOs of major international organizations.

Previous meetings were held in Brazil in 2004, India in 2003, Nigeria in 2002 and France in 2001.

(China.org.cn by Guo Xiaohong, November 28, 2005)