Now about three-quarters of the adult population can read and write. A ll students must pay for uniforms, textbooks and other supplies. They must also pay a fee before writing exams. Many large families cannot afford these costs. School-aged children sometimes have to wait two or three years until the family has enough money to send them to school.
Some children live too far from the nearest school to attend.
P rimary school begins at age seven and lasts seven years. Students then write a difficult exam to find out whether they can go on to further education. After two years, they write a second exam before they can continue with the last three years of secondary education. As secondary schools have space for only a small number of students, the passing grade on these exams is high. Children study very hard to win one of the few places.