Plans of action The ICESCR requires States to adopt a detailed plan of action aimed at securing the progressive implementation of the right to compulsory and free primary education. In this regard, article 14 of the ICESCR provides that: Each State Party to the present Covenant which, at the time of becoming a Party, has not been able to secure in its metropolitan territory or other territories under its jurisdiction compulsory primary education, free of charge, undertakes, within two years, to work out and adopt a detailed plan of action for the progressive implementation, within a reasonable number of years, to be fixed in the plan, of the principle of compulsory education free of charge for all. The CRC and the CESCR have emphasised the importance and relative inflexibility of the obligation to develop comprehensive national plans of action aimed at “free and compulsory” levels of education.82 More specifically, this is an immediate and continuing obligation that cannot be ignored by State parties to the CRC and the ICESCR. The plan of action must cover all the actions which are necessary in order to secure each of the requisite component parts of the right and must be sufficiently detailed so as to ensure the comprehensive realisation of the right. The plans should contain specific goals and targets that can be measured both quantitatively and qualitatively on a regular basis. To this end, the plan of action must include a means for periodic review and accountability to monitor and measure the progress of its implementation. In addition, if a country lacks sufficient available resources to achieve immediately the article 13(2) and article 29(1) rights, it must, as soon as reasonably possible, prepare a plan to achieve those objectives within the shortest time frame obtainable. In preparing this plan, it must give priority to the provision of compulsory and free primary education without undue detriment to other levels of education. The plan of action should, therefore, also include a commitment to the progressive realisation of free and compulsory secondary education. These plans should complement the National Education for All (EFA) plans.83 They must be implemented by all available legislative and executive measures and periodically reviewed. Where a State does not have the financial resources and/or the technical expertise to develop 82 Children’s Committee General Comment No. 1: The Aims of Education CRC/GC/2001/1 17 April 2001 at para 23; CESCR General Comment No. 11: Plans of action for primary education E/C.12/1999/4 10 May 1999 at paras 8 – 11. 83 See http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.phpURL_ID=10813&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html (last accessed 13 March 2007) for a discussion of these plans. 55