The Compulsory Education Act of 1912 provides for compulsory, free education for children between the ages of 6 and 16. government attempts to implement this law are hindered by a scarcity of educational facilities, and only 33 % of primary school-aged children were receiving education in 1996. Just 71 % of the population was literate in 2001. Higher education is provided by the University of Liberia (1862), in Monrovia, and several colleges.