Adult Literacy (FAL).New school health and nutrition initiatives were launched.55 The key priority of the education sector development program has been to improve and ensure the quality and efficiency of education at all levels. To develop the education system of the country the Government has already started implementing a strategic General Education Quality Improvement Package. This encompasses six programs: Teacher Development Program, Curriculum Aligned to Student Assessment and Examinations, Ethics Program, Management and Administration Program (MAP), Information Communication Technology, and Program Coordination and Monitoring Evaluation. The Government has given high priority to education for which it is allocating ever-increasing resources to the sector with the view to realizing the right to education. The primary strategic direction of the education sector is to ensure equitable access to quality education at all levels. Primary education is free to all citizens, and all children of school age are strongly encouraged to attend school. In 2011, primary education was provided in more than 25 local languages. Parents and guardians are at liberty to establish and choose schools for their children, other than those established by the public authorities, so long as these schools conform to minimum educational standards laid down by the State. The number of primary schools (Grades 1-8) increased from 26,951 in 2009/10 to 28,349 in 2010/11. The number further increased to 29,507 in 2011/12 and to 30,495 in 2012/13. In other words, a total of 3,544 primary schools were constructed during the last three years. The net enrolment rate increased from 82.1 percent in 2009/10 to 85.9 percent in 2012/13. During the same period, the gender parity index in primary schools, the ratio of girls to boys reached 0.94:1 in 2012/13. The number of students in primary schools increased from 15.8 million in 2009/10 to 16.7 million in 2010/11, 17 million in 2011/12 and to 17.4 million in 2012/13. This indicates that Ethiopia is getting closer to achieving the MDG target of universal access to primary education.56In the early 1990s, the Gross Enrolment Rate in primary schools was only 32%. The figure rose to 96.4% by 2010/11. This progress demonstrates that a sustained Government-led effort to reduce poverty and expand a public education system equitably, backed by sufficient resources and improved service delivery, can dramatically increase school enrolment.57 55The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Education Sector Development Program IV (ESDP IV) 2010/2011 – 2014/2015, Program Action Plan, 2010 P.8 56GTP report Ethiopia 2012/13 57Ethiopian UPR report 86