Schooling is compulsory in Morocco for children between the ages of 7 and 16. Some 73 % of girls and 95 % of boys attend primary school; only 39 % of secondary-school-age Moroccans actually attend secondary school. Arabic is the main language of instruction, and French is also used in secondary schools. In 2001 it was around that 69 % of the population was literate. In the 1996 school year 3.2 million pupils attended primary schools; 1.4 million students were listed in secondary and vocational schools.