Albania

About 70 percent of Albanian children continue their education by attending high school. The objective of the nation's 500 high schools is to prepare students for university education. Due to economic and social instability, however, enrollment rates have fallen since 1990. Traditional vocational and technical programs are obsolete, educational resources inadequate, and classrooms crowded. Conditions in rural areas are especially poor. The government is concerned that if the current 5 percent a year dropout rate continues, the literacy rate may decline.