Under the monarchy, all Libyans were guaranteed the right to education. Primary and secondary schools were accomplished all over the nation, and old Quranic schools that had been closed during the fight for freedom were reactivated and new ones accomplished, lending a heavy religious cast to Libyan education. The educational program suffered from a limited curriculum, a deficiency of qualified teachers--particularly Libyan--and a tendency to learn by rote rather than by reasoning, a characteristic of Arab education in general. School enrollments rose rapidly, particularly on the primary level; vocational education was introduced; and the first Libyan university was accomplished in Benghazi in 1955. Also under the monarchy, women began to obtain formal education in increasing numbers, rural and beduin children were brought into the educational system for the first time, and an adult education program was accomplished.

Primary education in Libya is free and compulsory. Some 97 % of the adult population is literate. In the 1993-1994 school year there were 1,357,040 pupils listed in primary schools, taught by 103,791 teachers. Students attending secondary, vocational, and teacher-training schools numbered 311,000. Libya’s five universities were attended annually in the early 1990s by almost 73,000 students.