national education policy. Through the PDDEB, the government has given priority to literacy of women and girl drop-outs and illiterate ones by increasing the non-formal education centres and adopting affirmative action measures for girls. 337. In order to guarantee the same admission criteria for boys and girls, the State has taken a number of measures no only to re-establish the gender balance but also to support parents of pupils by granting scholarships to girls, the free distribution of textbooks to pupils, the elimination of school fees at the basic education level and gradually at the post-primary level , the creation of school canteens, the use of alternative forms of education (satellite schools, nonformal basic education centres, bridge centres…), combating violence perpetrated against women and girls , the expansion of educational intake, the adoption of new methods of education, particularly inclusive and bilingual education. 338. All these efforts have contributed to the increase in the gross enrolment ratios and literacy of girls. In the 2011/2012 academic year, the number of school children who registered at the primary school level stood at 2 344 031 (including 364 987 in private schools) or an increase of 6.3% as compared to the 2010/2011 academic year. The newly registered pupils in primary class 1 increased from 444 519 in 2010/2011 to 470 288 pupils (including 223 513 girls) in 2011/2012, representing an increase of 5.8%. The Gross Intake Rate (GIR) also increased over the 2010/2011 rate from 85.7% to 88.3%. The GIR parity index rose from 0.97 in 2010/2011 to 0.98 in 2011/2012; which highlights a reduction in gender disparities in the area of access to education. The Gross Enrolments Rate (GER) increased from 77.6% to 79.6% between 2010/11 and 2011/12, accounting for an increase of 2 percentage points. This increase is greater among the girls (2.9 as against 2.4 percentage points for boys). This indicates a reduction in disparities between girls and boys concerning participation in education. The following Table presents the statistical trends for girls and boys at the primary school level. Table No. 13: Trends in the enrolment ratios for primary schools between 2009 and 2013 SCHOOL YEAR GROSS ENROLMENT RATE Boys Girls Total 78,3 71,2 2009-2010 74,8 80,2 75,0 2010-2011 77,6 81,1 78,1 2011-2012 79,1 81,6 81,0 2012-2013 81,3 Source: DEP/MENA NET ENROLMENT RATE Boys Girls Total 59,8 55,0 57,4 62,6 59,1 60,9 63,2 61,1 62,2 63,5 62,8 63,2 COMPLETION RATE Boys 49,2 55,1 56,6 59,3 Girls 42,5 49,1 53,7 59,7 Total 45,9 52,1 55,1 59,5 339. With regard to measures taken to sensitise parents, teachers and decision-makers on the importance of educating girls, they range from the organisation of consultative meetings to publicity in the media. Indeed, the establishment of parent-teacher associations, the creation of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and the Directorate for the Promotion of Girls’ Education at the MENA, the establishment of a quota system in the process of recruitment and different actions in the area of awareness raising bear testimony to the will of the government to promote the rights of the girl child to education. 340. In 2012, the Government adopted a National Accelerated Girl-Child Education Strategy (SNAEF). The vision of SNAEF is to contribute to the establishment of an education system devoid of all forms of gender inequalities and inequities, by providing girls and boys with the basic conditions for their access, maintenance in school and their socio-professional success. The implementation of this national strategy is based on the following strategic orientations: the 83