Editing Uruguay (section)

=== Education ===
{{Main|Education in Uruguay}}
[[File:Facultad de Medicina, Montevideo 25.jpg|thumb|Faculty of Medicine of the [[University of the Republic (Uruguay)|University of the Republic]], founded in 1849|alt=]]
[[Education in Uruguay]] is [[secularism|secular]], free,<ref name="UNASEP"/> and compulsory for 14 years, starting at the age of 4.<ref name="iadb"/> The system is divided into six levels of education: early childhood (3–5 years), primary (6–11 years), basic secondary (12–14 years), upper secondary (15–17 years), higher education (18 and up), and postgraduate education.<ref name="iadb">[http://www.iadb.org/document.cfm?id=35521105 Uruguay, Secondary and technical education and teacher training support program] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118151726/https://idbdocs.iadb.org/wsdocs/getdocument.aspx?docnum=35521105 |date=18 January 2021 }} [[Inter-American Development Bank]] (pp. 7–8)</ref> Public education is the primary responsibility of three institutions: the [[Ministry of Education and Culture (Uruguay)|Ministry of Education and Culture]], which coordinates education policies; the [[National Public Education Administration]], which formulates and implements policies on early to secondary education; and the [[University of the Republic (Uruguay)|University of the Republic]], responsible for higher education.<ref name="iadb" /> In 2009, the government planned to invest 4.5% of GDP in education.<ref name="UNASEP">{{cite web|url=http://www.conuruyork.org/Comercial/Invest%20in%20Uruguay%20-%20UnASeP%20.pdf |title=Invest in Uruguay — Unidad de Apoyo al Sector Privado |page=24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303174825/http://www.conuruyork.org/Comercial/Invest%20in%20Uruguay%20-%20UnASeP%20.pdf |archive-date=3 March 2016 |access-date=25 June 2012}}</ref>

Uruguay ranks high on standardized tests such as [[Programme for International Student Assessment|PISA]] at a regional level but is also below some countries with similar levels of income to the [[OECD]] average.<ref name="UNASEP" /> In the 2006 PISA test, Uruguay had one of the greatest [[standard deviation]]s among schools, suggesting significant variability by socio-economic level.<ref name="UNASEP" /> Uruguay is part of the [[One Laptop per Child]] project, and in 2009 it became the first country in the world to provide a laptop for every primary school student<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2009/10/18/uruguay-becomes-first-nation-to-provide-a-laptop-for-every-prima/|title=Uruguay becomes first nation to provide a laptop for every primary school student|date=18 October 2009 |publisher=Engadget|access-date=2 December 2010|archive-date=24 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101224212144/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/18/uruguay-becomes-first-nation-to-provide-a-laptop-for-every-prima/|url-status=live}}</ref> as part of the [[Plan Ceibal]].<ref name="olpc-bbc">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8309583.stm|title=Laptop for every pupil in Uruguay|date=16 October 2009|work=BBC News|access-date=23 February 2011|first=Verónica|last=Psetizki|archive-date=16 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110216061841/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8309583.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> Over the 2007–2009 period, 362,000 pupils and 18,000 teachers were involved in the scheme; around 70% of the laptops were given to children who did not have computers at home.<ref name="olpc-bbc" /> The OLPC project represents less than 5% of the country's education budget.<ref name="olpc-bbc" />