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5 - Peoples of the MekongLiteracy rates. Approximately 95 percent of thepopulation in Thailand and Viet Nam over the age of 15years is literate, compared with 1990 rates in thesecountries which were, respectively, 89 and 87 percent. 66Equally important, women have literacy rates as high or, inthe case of young women in Viet Nam, higher than men ofthe same age. However, in Viet Nam, adult literacy ratesremain significantly lower in rural areas, achieving levelsof only 83 percent in the Central Highlands and 88 percentin the Mekong Delta. 67 Women in these areas are muchmore likely than men to be illiterate. 68 Whereas 5 percentof men in the Mekong Delta and the Central Highlands areilliterate, the proportions of illiterate women are respectively10.5 and 13.4 percent.Adult literacy has increased in Cambodia l and Lao PDRduring the 1990s, although the rates remain below theaverage of 85 percent for developing countries in Asia andthe Pacific. 69 Moreover, there remain significantdiscrepancies between men and women living in urban and rural areas. The differences are evenmore pronounced among ethnic minority women. In the Cambodian provinces of Rattanakiri andMondulkiri, women have literacy rates that are less than half the average for rural women. 70 Whileethnic Lao women have literacy rates higher than the national average for women in Lao PDR,Table 10. Adult and youth literacy (%), 2000Literacy rates are lowest for olderwomen and ethnic minoritiesethnic minority women have ratesthat range from 10-30 percent. 71Adult literacyYouth literacy15 years and older 15-24 yearsMale Female Male FemaleCambodia 80 57 83 75Lao PDR 64 33 83 58Thailand 97 94 99 98Viet Nam 96 91 96 97Source: WB 2002aIn Cambodia and Lao PDR, theliteracy rates among young womenaged 15-24 years are much higherthan among adult females.However, a much smallerproportion of young women in thosetwo countries are literate,compared with Thailand and VietNam.School enrolment and educational achievement. Throughout the LMB, the net primary enrolmentrate (NER) m has increased in recent years for both boys and girls. Nearly as many girls as boysattend primary school in Thailand and Viet Nam. In Cambodia and Lao PDR, however, thepercentages of girls enrolled in school remain lower than for boys. Parents are more reluctant tosend their daughters to school because of the important role they play in domestic and householdeconomic activities. Families also prefer to educate sons for cultural reasons and because it isconsidered safer to send boys to schools located some distance from villages. However, only abouthalf of all enrolled students complete the primary level.lmA UNICEF study suggests that literacy rates are significantly lower than reported by other sources.This study (reported by Chunn and Prasertsri, 2000) actually tested people’s ability to read and found thatonly 37 percent of the population was literate. The proportion of literate women (29 percent) was significantlylower compared to men (48 percent).Net primary enrolment rate (NER) is defined as the number of children of primary school age enrolled inprimary school as a percentage of all children of primary school age.55