Primary (or elementary) education consists of the first few years of formal, structured education. In general, main education consists of six or eight years of schooling starting at the age of five or six, although this varies between, and sometimes within, countries. Globally, arounf 70% of primary-age children are enrolled in primary education, and this proporation is rising. Under the Education for All programs driven by UNESCO, most countries have committed to achieving Universal enrollment in primary education by 2015, and in many countries, it is compulsory for children to receive primary education. The division between primary and secondary education is somewhat arbitrary, but it generally occurs at about eleven or twelve years of age. Some education systems have separate middle schools, with the transition to the final stage of secondary education taking place at around the age of fourteen.
Schools that provide primary education, are mostly referred to as primary schools. Primary schools in these countries are often subdivided in to infant schools and Junior Schools.
