REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA COMBINED SECOND PERIODIC REPORT UNDER THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON HUMAN AND PEOPLE`S RIGHTS and INITIAL REPORT UNDER THE PROTOCOL TO THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN IN AFRICA Article 17: Right to education and culture 315. Section 29 of the Constitution provides for the right to education.185 316. Educational attainment outcomes continue to improve with improved access to educational facilities and services. Among individuals aged 20 years and older, the percentage who attained Grade 12 as their highest level of education increased from 21,9% in 2002 to 27,7% in 2013. The percentage of these individuals with tertiary qualifications furthermore improved from 9,3% to 12,8% whilst functional illiteracy declined from 27,3% to 16,2% between 2002 and 2013.186 317. With regards to attendance of an educational institutions, nationally, 73,5% of persons aged 5–24 were attending educational institutions in 2013. As Table 11 below shows, this is almost the same level as observed in 2002 when the attendance rate was 73,6%. Whilst the percentage in this broad age group has not changed, at peak ages of 7‐16 years, attendance is almost universal. 185 S 29 (1)”Everyone has the right(a) to a basic education, including adult basic education; and (b) to further education, which the state, through reasonable measures, must make progressively available and accessible. (2)Everyone has the right to receive education in the official language or languages of their choice in public educational institutions where that education is reasonably practicable. In order to ensure the effective access to, and implementation of, this right, the state must consider all reasonable educational alternatives, including single medium institutions, taking into account(a) equity; (b) practicability; and (c) the need to redress the results of past racially discriminatory laws and practices. (3)Everyone has the right to establish and maintain, at their own expense, independent educational institutions that(a) do not discriminate on the basis of race; (b) are registered with the state; and (c) maintain standards that are not inferior to standards at comparable public educational institutions. (4) Subsection (3) does not preclude state subsidies for independent educational institutions.” 186 General Household Survey, 2013 92