Elementary and secondary education is free and compulsory for children under 14 years. The religious schools legalized in 1991. Besides the secondary schools that teach an academic traditional system there is a professional system and a senior high education (preparatory or Bachelor) of general and technical orientation. 1991.in spite of the fact that the illiteracy among the adult population has been one of the main problems the successive government campaigns has increased the literacy level that has increased from about 50 % at the beginnings of the decade of 1940 to an 89,6%in 1995.About primary and secondary education, in 1995 there were 98844 primary schools and more than 7500000 students were registered in secondary schools. In Mexico the higher education has about9000 educational institutions. Some of the most important universities are the. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (1551) and the Instituto Politécnico Nacional (1937), both located in Mexico city the University of Guadalajara is also outstanding (1791), the Universidad Veracruzana (1944) and the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (1943). In 1995 it was estimated that the illiteracy was about 10,4%
