Before World War II the literacy rate in Romania ranked among the lowest
in Europe. In 1930, at the time of the first official census, more than
38 percent of the population over seven years of age were considered
illiterate--50 percent of the women and over 25 percent of the men in
the entire population of about 18 million were unable to read or write.
In rural areas, where most of the population lived, it was generally
considered that the illiteracy rate was even higher. Much of the lack of
literacy could be attributed to the fact that children of school age
either were not enrolled in school or, if they were enrolled, did not
attend classes regularly. There was also a fairly large percentage of
children who left school without completing their studies or, having
completed only the mandatory first four grades, relapsed into illiteracy
in adult life.

Although the proportion of literacy had been increased somewhat by the
time the Communists came to power, it was still low. The emphasis given
to expanded educational opportunities by the party and government
between 1948 and 1956 brought a substantial decline in the number of
illiterates. Classes were organized throughout the country by the
various people's councils, and a determined campaign was undertaken to
increase enrollment. Most of these courses lasted two years and were
conducted on a weekly basis by both regular teachers and literate
volunteers; successful completion was officially considered equivalent
to graduation from a four-year elementary school.

As a result of these increased efforts, the 1956 census showed an
overall increase in the literacy rate to about 90 percent. According to
this census the greatest proportion of illiterates was still to be found
in the rural areas and among women. Literacy courses were continued
until late 1958, when the government officially declared that illiteracy
had been eliminated. Despite this authoritative statement, Western
demographers consider that, although illiteracy has been significantly
reduced, it probably still exists among older segments of the
population, particularly in remote areas of the country.

THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

In early 1972 the public education system included all levels of
instruction from preschool or kindergarten through elementary,
secondary, and higher polytechnical schools and universities (see fig.
6). At the beginning of the 1971/72 academic year approximately 4.5
million student