An Afghan boy munches on an after-school snack outside

An Afghan boy munches on an after-school snack outside an all-boy elementary school in Panjshayr province May 21. According to the CIA World Fact Book, the estimated literacy among Afghans age 15 and older who can read and write, as of 2000, is 28. percent for the total population--43.1 percent of males and 12.6 percent for females. In 2009, it was reported that the school life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) averaged 9 years--11 years for males and 7 years for females.