Population, Education

Elementary education in Paraguay is free and nominally compulsory for children from 6 to 12 years of age. While the number of schools is inadequate, 97 percent of the adult population is literate. In 1998-1999, 958,700 pupils were enrolled in primary schools and 367,600 students attended secondary, vocational, and teacher-training schools. About 42,300 students attended institutions of higher education, which included the National University of Asuncion (1890) and the Catholic University of Our Lady of Asuncion (1960).