371. The public authorities and civil society have deployed numerous efforts for a better « sustained educational support » through the control of school failures and early drop out rate. Thus, the drop out rate at the primary level has declined. It was brought down from 7% in 1990 to 1.8% in 2005. 372. With regard to higher education, the university year 2005-2006 registered a number of students of up to 335,876 compared to 27,000 in 1978. This development is explained by the constantly increasing percentage of success of the A level exams, through democratization and through the continued improvement of higher education. 373. The general rate of university education for the age bracket of 19 to 24 years developed from 5.5% in 1997 to 19% during the period 1999-2002 to reach 42% during the 2005-2006 university year. The percentage of girls has increased considerably since 1987: from 37.2% in 1987-1988, it reached 58.2% in 20052006. 374. The decentralization of the university institutions responds to a policy which is endeavouring to rationalize the creation of new institutions, on the basis of the following principles: -To bring the university institutions as close as possible to the students’ places of residence; -Reduce the pressure on traditional university poles and, in particular, on the Capital; -Create new university poles in all the regions of the country; - Contribute to the socio-economic development of the regions. 375. The institutions of higher education today number 178, of which 155 are under the Ministry of Higher Education and 23 are in co-tutelage, involving other Ministries. C) Equal Opportunities 376. To guarantee universal access to school and to offer equal opportunities to all the children, several support and assistance mechanisms have been put in place, including notably: - Compensation for the paper used in the manufacture of school textbooks and exercise books so as to maintain them at an affordable price and accessible to all families. As for the needy pupils, they receive free school materials and obtain study scholarships and all sorts of assistance. Every year, more than 400,000 pupils benefit from this assistance. - Bringing the school closer to the citizens through the continuous extension of the network of educational institutions in all the regions of the counry and especially in the rural areas. In spite of the significant drop in the number of pupils in the primary due to birth control, the number of schools has continued to grow and the number of teachers has not dropped. 80