the Roman Catholic Church and account for approximately 10% of the 6,800 schools and 120,000 teachers. Roman Catholic schools have a reputation for more discipline and rigor than public institutions, and some are considered elite institutions. Because there is no tradition of private university education in Austria, the state has a virtual monopoly on higher education. This has been changing slowly in recent years as private universities become more commonplace. History Before 1774, education in Austria was a task of the church: convent schools were therefore the only educational establishments, and school fees were charged. This is why education was only accessible to those who had the means to pay for it, whereas poorer people remained illiterate. Mandatory primary education was introduced by Empress Maria Theresa of Austria (1740–1780), mandating in 1775 that all children of both sexes from the ages of six to twelve had to attend school. Furthermore, textbooks were unified and teacher education was regulated. Even though schooling became compulsory for both girls and boys for a time period of six years, girls were not allowed to attend professional or secondary schools. The Austrian literacy rate became one of the highest in the Habsburg Empire during the beginning of the 19th century due to this development. The first secondary school for girls was opened in 1868, whilst the first gymnasium for girls was founded in 1892. From 1872 girls were also allowed to graduate, yet remained excluded from universities. Women were admitted to the Philosophical Faculty in 1897. In 1900 they were also admitted to the Faculty of Medicine. In 1919, women were admitted to the Faculty of Law, in 1923 to the Faculty of Protestant Theology, and 1946 to the Faculty of Catholic Theology. In 1910 girls were admitted to boys‘ gymnasiums, but they were neither allowed to participate actively in class nor to take part in exams. The history of the Austrian education system after World War II may be characterized as an attempt to transform higher education from a traditional entitlement of the upper social classes to more equal access for all social classes. Before the School Act of 1962, Austria had a “two-track” education system. After four years of compulsory primary education from the ages of six to ten in the elementary school, or Volksschule (pl., Volksschulen), children and their parents had to choose between the compulsory secondary level for eleven- to fourteen-year-olds