The three primary objectives of universities are: teaching, research and service to the community. A pragmatic approach would therefore be to consider how universities can assist in achieving the identified goals of EFA through those objectives.

The major challenge facing developing countries is producing the very large number of teachers required both in primary and secondary schools. The existing teachers have also to be re-trained. This is a mammoth task and it is most unlikely that the targeted numbers can be met by using the traditional face-to-face approach of teacher education. Distance education, and where appropriate e-learning, will have to be resorted to. This is already being done in some countries, but small states have difficulties in putting up the appropriate infrastructure and training the staff for coping with distance education
and/or e-learning. This is where regional or international collaboration can be of great help. For example, the Commonwealth of Learning
(COL) already has a proposal for setting up a Virtual University for small states in the Commonwealth in which teacher training features
prominently.

Universities are also well positioned for promoting quality of education in schools, one of the six goals of EFA, since they themselves are at
present required to satisfy quality criteria.