Before the outbreak of World War II, Albania belonged to the countries with the highest level of illiteracy in Europe. Although the duty to attend school for all children between 7 and 12 years old was introduced in 1913, even in the 1930s just one in five children attended school. The level of illiteracy was defined at 80% of society, while in mountainous areas it reached even 95%. Despite the relatively large number of primary schools, only a few secondary schools operated; the school in Kortcha run by French people, the teaching school in Elbasan, the American Harry Fultz technical school and the agricultural school financed by Italians. In 1939, Albania was the only European country which did not have its own university. The state budget financed a small number of scholarships so that Albanians could study abroad. In 1938, 16 people studied with state scholarships, and over 400 people studied with funding from their families.