THIS month, children from York returned to school after the summer. However, 125 million children in poor countries can only prepare to join the ranks of one billion illiterate adults.

These children do not even have access to primary education.

Rich governments have, in principle, agreed to the "Education For All" plan to get every child into school by 2015. But a cash commitment is yet to be made for this plan to succeed.

Even today, many poor countries spend more on repaying debts to rich countries than on health and education. I hope Evening Press readers will join Oxfam in calling on Gordon Brown and Clare Short to ensure that education remains on the agenda at the World Bank/International Monetary Fund meetings later this month.

Rebecca Palmer,

Oxfam campaigns officer for York,

Park Square East,

Leeds.

Updated: 09:26 Friday, September 20, 2002