The Economic Survey on Tuesday said the country will miss the target for providing basic education for all by 2007 and asked the government to expedite efforts to achieve this objective by 2010.

"Independent surveys have pointed out the impossibility of achieving universal elementary education by the target date of 2007 and the low level of achievement of the children passing out of the school system," the Survey observed.

The Survey, tabled in Parliament, said 70.5 lakh children in the 6-14 age group were still out of school by March 2006.

This is despite the fact that the government raised by 41 per cent the budgetary allocation for the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, one of the flagship programmes of the UPA coalition, from Rs 7,800 crore (Rs 78 billion) in 2005-06 to Rs 11,000 crore (Rs 110 billion) in 2006-07.

The Survey also pointed to the need to improve the quality of education under the SSA, which aims to bridge all gender and social category gaps at the primary stage by 2007 and at the elementary level by 2010.

"SSA needs to garner greater efforts to focus attention on the achievement of quality education at the elementary level," it said, adding that many students learn by Class eight what they should have learnt by Class two.

The Survey pointed out the need to increase the gross enrolment ratio at the secondary level, which was "low" at 39.91 per cent in 2004-05 even though it had increased from 19.3 per cent in 1990-91.

"There is a need to increase the GER at secondary level, particularly now that the SSA aims to enrol all children in elementary schools by 2010," the Survey said. It, however, expressed satisfaction over the growth in higher education, where annual enrolment rose to 10.48 million in 2004-05 from 7.26 million in 1997-98.