Education is compulsory between the ages of 6 and 13, and 97.1 % of school-age children are listed. Christian missions under the direction of the minister of education operate most schools, which are free at the primary level. In 1996 some 374,600 pupils attended 1,249 primary schools, and 68,100 pupils attended secondary and vocational schools. The National University of Lesotho (1966), in Roma, is attended yearly by about 1,400 students and has a teaching staff of more than 200. The Lesotho Agricultural College (1955) is in Maseru. Lesotho has a literacy rate of 91 %.