UNESCO hailed Cuba's success in reaching the goals of the UN-backed Education for All (EFA) Movement, local media reported Thursday.

Herman van Hooff, director of the Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said the agency was pleased with the island's achievements in education, according to the state daily Granma.

He highlighted a primary childcare program called "Educate your children" as one of the most successful educational projects in the country.

He also praised other efforts of Cuba in promoting education, including a literacy campaign and state-funded primary and elementary educational programs.

The EFA Movement, an initiative spearheaded by UNESCO, seeks to promote a global commitment to provide quality basic education to children and young adults.

The UNESCO official said Cuba has the highest EFA Development Index (EDI) in Latin America, despite the fact that it is one of the less developed countries in the region.

EDI is a composite indicator using four EFA goals -- universal primary education, adult literacy, quality of education and gender to make an overall evaluation of a nation's education system.

He also noted that compared to other regional countries, Cuba earmarks the largest portion of gross domestic product (GDP) to education, spending some 13 percent of the GDP on the sector.