▁low ▁quality ▁of ▁teachers , ▁and ▁lack ▁of ▁ade qu ate ▁facilities . ▁ ▁History ▁ ▁During ▁the ▁period ▁of ▁colon ization , ▁Equ atorial ▁Guinea ' s ▁educational ▁system ▁was ▁mostly ▁controlled ▁by ▁Catholic ▁mission ary ▁groups , ▁in ▁particular ▁the ▁Cla re ti ans . ▁School s ▁run ▁by ▁the ▁Spanish ▁government ▁encourag ed ▁the ▁use ▁of ▁the ▁Spanish ▁language ▁to ▁communicate . ▁During ▁this ▁period , ▁school ▁attend ance ▁was ▁above ▁ 9 0 %, ▁which ▁was ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁highest ▁attend ance ▁rates ▁on ▁the ▁continent . ▁Upon ▁independence , ▁Equ atorial ▁Guinea ▁also ▁had ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁highest ▁liter acy ▁rates ▁on ▁the ▁continent . ▁However , ▁the ▁educational ▁system ▁quickly ▁d eter ior ated ▁because ▁there ▁were ▁fewer ▁funds ▁available . ▁In ▁addition ▁to ▁the ▁lack ▁of ▁fund ing , ▁the ▁educational ▁system ▁suffered ▁because ▁ ▁President ▁Mac ías ▁viewed ▁the ▁Catholic ▁church ▁as ▁a ▁rival ▁for ▁power ▁and ▁as ▁a ▁symbol ▁of ▁Spanish ▁imperial ism . ▁He ▁made ▁Catholic ▁activities ▁illegal ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 8 ▁and ▁closed ▁down ▁Catholic ▁schools . ▁As ▁Te od oro ▁Ob i ang ▁N gu ema ▁M bas ogo ▁took ▁over ▁the ▁presiden cy , ▁the ▁education ▁system ▁stabil ized . ▁He ▁placed ▁a ▁higher ▁emphas is ▁on ▁the ▁system ▁by ▁creating ▁new ▁schools ▁and ▁re h abil it ating ▁old ▁ones . ▁Although ▁the ▁country ' s ▁income ▁rose ▁after ▁the ▁discovery ▁of ▁oil ▁depos its ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 9 0 s , ▁Equ atorial ▁Guinea