Demographic and Health Survey 2009-10 - Timor-Leste Ministry of ...

34 | Characteristics of Respondents
Table 3.2.2 Educational attainment: Men
Percent distribution of men age 15-49 by highest level of schooling attended or completed, and median years completed,
according to background characteristics, Timor-Leste 2009-10
Background
characteristic
No
education
Some
primary
Highest level of schooling
Completed
primary 1
Some
secondary
Completed
secondary 2
More than
secondary
Total
Median
years
completed
Number of
men
Age
15-24 11.7 13.9 6.6 48.7 16.9 2.1 100.0 7.6 1,636
15-19 10.8 15.7 7.1 59.7 6.3 0.5 100.0 7.3 994
20-24 13.2 11.2 5.9 31.8 33.3 4.6 100.0 12.2 643
25-29 20.4 19.9 6.9 12.4 31.3 9.2 100.0 7.7 586
30-34 19.1 18.6 9.1 16.3 28.5 8.4 100.0 7.6 439
35-39 20.0 17.2 12.7 17.9 20.8 11.5 100.0 6.1 553
40-44 29.2 18.2 8.9 13.2 24.7 5.9 100.0 5.3 462
45-49
Residence
37.5 27.0 8.3 10.2 13.3 3.8 100.0 2.3 400
Urban 9.3 11.4 5.9 27.6 31.0 14.9 100.0 13.1 1,102
Rural
District
23.2 19.7 9.0 28.2 17.7 2.2 100.0 5.7 2,974
Aileu 17.9 17.7 11.1 31.2 19.7 2.4 100.0 6.6 181
Ainaro 29.7 16.7 7.0 31.0 14.0 1.6 100.0 5.4 217
Baucau 15.7 22.7 7.4 27.3 24.6 2.3 100.0 7.1 415
Bobonaro 28.9 16.8 8.5 25.2 18.2 2.4 100.0 5.5 357
Covalima 12.5 14.7 12.7 32.4 23.0 4.7 100.0 7.9 236
Dili 7.1 10.7 6.0 24.5 34.3 17.4 100.0 13.9 797
Ermera 37.1 20.9 6.9 23.4 11.0 0.7 100.0 3.7 491
Lautem 11.0 9.2 9.0 42.0 24.3 4.6 100.0 8.3 308
Liquiçá 17.5 24.4 6.6 30.5 18.1 2.9 100.0 6.0 252
Manatuto 17.8 20.1 8.2 28.0 23.1 2.8 100.0 6.6 190
Manufahi 20.0 14.3 7.9 37.7 16.6 3.6 100.0 6.9 137
Oecussi 29.1 27.3 13.7 18.2 7.9 3.7 100.0 4.0 235
Viqueque
Wealth quintile
19.0 21.7 8.4 28.7 18.1 4.1 100.0 6.0 260
Lowest 32.3 22.0 10.7 26.2 8.2 0.5 100.0 4.2 728
Second 26.6 21.8 10.6 26.4 14.2 0.4 100.0 5.1 781
Middle 23.3 20.3 9.5 29.6 15.2 2.0 100.0 5.6 786
Fourth 15.0 17.5 5.8 30.2 27.4 4.1 100.0 8.1 849
Highest 4.0 8.0 5.2 27.4 36.9 18.5 100.0 14.1 932
Total 15-49 19.4 17.5 8.2 28.0 21.3 5.7 100.0 7.1 4,076
1 Completed grade 6 at the primary level
2 Completed grade 12 at the secondary level
Literacy is widely acknowledged as benefiting the individual and the society and is associated
with a number of positive outcomes for health, nutrition, and the overall well-being of both men and
women. In the 2009-10 TLDHS, literacy was determined by the respondents’ ability to read all or part
of a sentence. During data collection, interviewers carried a set of cards on which simple sentences
were printed in five of the major languages. These cards were used to test a respondent’s reading
ability. Only those who had never been to school and those who had not completed the primary level
were asked to read the cards in the language they were most likely able to read. Those who had
attended secondary school or received higher education were assumed to be literate.
Table 3.3.1 indicates that more than two-thirds of women in Timor-Leste (68 percent) are
literate. The literacy status varies by place of residence. Four-fifths of women residing in urban areas
are literate compared with three-fifths of their rural counterparts. The level of literacy by age shows a
consistent decrease with increasing age. This suggests that the younger generations have had more
opportunity to learn to read than the older generations. Eighty-six percent of women age 15-19 are
literate compared with 29 percent of women age 45-49.