Mansur Muhtar, Nigerian minister of finance, speaks at a press conference after a high-level ministerial roundtable in Istanbul of Turkey, Oct. 4, 2009. Fourteen leading African finance and education ministers Sunday appealed to wealthy governments for financial help to keep their young students in school during the global economic crisis.(Xinhua/Zhang Meng) Photo Gallery>>>

    ISTANBUL, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Fourteen leading African finance and education ministers Sunday appealed to wealthy governments for financial help to keep their young students in school during the global economic crisis.

    The ministers said they were particularly anxious to secure a successful replenishment for the Education for All Fast-Track Initiative (FTI), which faces an immediate funding shortfall of 1.2 billion U.S. dollars through the end of 2010.

    By filling the immediate gap, developing country governments will send as many as 20 million more children to school for the first time, which would halve the numbers of children still waiting to enroll in their local primary school in sub-Saharan Africa, the ministers said.

Mansur Muhtar, Nigerian minister of finance, speaks at a press conference after a high-level ministerial roundtable in Istanbul of Turkey, Oct. 4, 2009.(Xinhua/Zhang Meng) Photo Gallery>>>

   They made the call at a high-level ministerial roundtable with the World Bank Managing Director Graeme Wheeler and other senior officials form donor governments and the European Commission.

    In 2002, the World Bank together with development partners launched the FTI, which is a global partnership to help low-income countries meet the education Millennium Development Goals that all children complete a full cycle of primary education by 2015.

Special Report:  Global Financial Crisis