An international initiative first launched in Jomtien, Thailand, in 1990 to bring the benefits of education to ‘every citizen in every society’. In order to realise this aim, a broad coalition of national governments, civil society groups and development agencies, such as UNESCO and the World Bank, committed to achieving several specific education goals (World Bank, 2014). ‘EFA focused world attention on the basic learning needs of neglected groups and on learning achievement rather than on mere attendance’ (European Agency, 2011, p. 13).