Education in Eritrea is officially compulsory between seven and 13 years of age. However, the education infrastructure is inadequate to meet current needs. Statistics vary at the elementary level, suggesting that between 65 and 70% of school-aged children attend primary school; Approximately 61% attend secondary school. Student-teacher ratios are high: 45 to 1 at the elementary level and 54 to 1 at the secondary level. There are an average 63 students per classroom at the elementary level and 97 per classroom at the secondary level. Learning hours at school are often less than six hours per day. Skill shortages are present at all levels of the education system, and funding for and access to education vary significantly by gender and location. Illiteracy estimates for Eritrea range from around 40% to as high as 70%. COUNT 5
QSN1 What ages are officially compulsary for education in Eritrea? ANS1 between seven and 13 years of age QSN2 What percentage of school-aged children are estimated to attend primary school? ANS2 70% QSN3 What percentage of school-aged children are estimated to attend secondary school? ANS3 61% QSN4 What is the student-teacher ratio in elementary schools? ANS4 45 to 1 QSN5 What is the student-teacher ratio in secondary schools? ANS5 54 to 1