Equitorial Guinea - Education

Education in Equatorial Guinea is free and compulsory until the age of 14. In 1993, the gross primary enrollment rate was 149.7 percent, and the net primary enrollment rate was 83.4 percent. Late entry into the school system and high dropout rates are common, and girls are more likely than boys to drop out of school, with enrolment at about 24 percent of all age-eligible students.
Primary education is for five years followed by four years of secondary in the first stage and three subsequent years of secondary education in the second stage. In 2001, about 35% of children between the ages of three and six were enrolled in some type of preschool program.
It is estimated that about 45 percent of all students complete their primary education. The student-to-teacher ratio for primary school was at about 43:1 in 2000; the ratio for secondary school was about 23:1.
The National University of Equatorial Guinea is the primary institute of higher learning. The adult literacy rate for 2004 was estimated at about 84.2 percent, with 92.1 percent for men and 76.4 percent for women.
As of 2003, public expenditure on education was estimated at 0.6% of GDP, or 1.6% of total government expenditures