Education is the cornerstone of human development and the foundation on which ideals of growth and development are realised. As the 2015 deadline for the achievement of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) approaches, it is imperative that nations around the world take stock of the progress countries have made in their pursuit of this goal, and assess their progress based on data that reflects a holistic and accurate picture about access to universal quality education.

However, there is no doubt, that throughout the world, concerted effort has been exerted toward making primary education more accessible. Between 1999 and 2011, the number of out school children fell almost by half and South and West Asia recorded the steepest decline in the number of out of school children (40 million in 2000 to 12 million in 2012).