The actual figure may be higher if the workforce is larger than official government figures suggest, and some unofficial estimates put the rate as high as 30 per cent in 1998. Workers often have two or three jobs in addition to their official one. Statistics may not equal 100 per cent due to the rounding of figures. World Bank, World Development Indicators 1999 Education Education is compulsory for eight years from the ages of six to 14. This is not fully effective in rural areas.
Primary education is free and lasts for five years.
Secondary education begins at 11 years and lasts for up to seven years, with a first course of three years and a second course of four years. Education became a state monopoly following the 1979 Revolution, but a law passed in 1987 provided for the creation of private schools under certain conditions. In 1999, the official estimate of the literacy rate for the whole population was 80.5 per cent. Among 15-24 year olds, the literacy rate for males was 95 per cent, and the rate for females was 90 per cent. Public spending on education was equivalent to 4.0 per cent of GNP in 1996.