Editing Peru (section)

===Education===
{{main|Education in Peru}}
[[File:Mural Colorido - UNMSM.jpg|thumb|[[National University of San Marcos]], the first university in the Americas]]

In Peru, education is under the jurisdiction of the [[Ministry of Education (Peru)|Ministry of Education]], which is in charge of formulating, implementing and supervising the national education policy. According to the Political Constitution of Peru, education is [[Compulsory education|compulsory]] and free in public schools for the initial, primary and secondary levels.<ref>[https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/peru/ Peru] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123014649/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/peru/|date=23 January 2021}} . CIA, The World Factbook</ref><ref>''Constitución Política del Perú'', Article No. 17.</ref> It is also free in public universities for students who have satisfactory academic performance and pass the admission exams. Most of the schools in Peru are [[Private school|private]] and [[Religious school|religious]]. Peru's literacy rate is estimated at 92.9% as of 2007; this rate is lower in rural areas (80.3%) than in urban areas (96.3%).<ref>Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática, ''Perfil sociodemográfico del Perú'', p. 93.</ref>

Education is divided into different levels: Initial education corresponds to the period between zero and five years of age, and is in charge of cribs whose purpose is to provide children with the stimulation required for their comprehensive development and the gardens that offer technical-pedagogical activities. Primary education begins with the first cycle, made up of the first and second grades. The entry age for children is six years old. This level begins in the first grade and ends in the sixth grade of primary school. Secondary education consists of five years, from first to fifth year. Then comes higher education that can be technical, productive, technological or university. To enter universities it is essential to take an admission exam, although the difficulty of this depends on the requirements of the university.

Peru is home to one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in the New World. The [[National University of San Marcos]], founded on 12 May 1551, during the [[Viceroyalty of Peru]], is the first officially established and the oldest continuously functioning university in the Americas.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Samaké |first=Cynthia LeCount |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5qAuEQAAQBAJ&dq=National+University+of+San+Marcos+oldest+continuously+functioning+university+in+the+Americas&pg=PT91 |title=Textile Traveler's Guide to Peru & Bolivia |date=2019-04-05 |publisher=Schiffer + ORM |isbn=978-1-5073-0253-8 |language=en |archive-date=19 February 2025 |access-date=17 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250219125140/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Textile_Traveler_s_Guide_to_Peru_Bolivia/5qAuEQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=National+University+of+San+Marcos+oldest+continuously+functioning+university+in+the+Americas&pg=PT91&printsec=frontcover |url-status=live }}</ref> The University of San Marcos is known to be the best in Peru and among the best in South America.