Education is free, though not compulsory. The national educational programme expanded rapidly during the 1970s and the 1980s; in 2000–2001 316,889 students attended primary schools while some 254,496 were enrolled at secondary schools. There are also extensive programmes to combat adult illiteracy. Sultan Qaboos University, a national university near Muscat, was founded in 1980; in 1995 it had 4,296 students. In 1998, 4.5 per cent of the country’s gross national product (GNP) was spent on education. The adult literacy rate in 2004 was 77.1 per cent.