As the organisation took control of areas of Mozambique in the 1970s, it promoted education among both children and adults. Literacy among women was particularly encouraged. By 1971 there were 20,000 students in the FRELIMO-controlled areas of the country, and 1.3 million children were in school by 1977. By 1978, the organisation claimed a nationwide literacy rate of 15%. However, the literacy drive suffered from a lack of trained teachers and from the practical need for many students to spend time on farmwork rather than in classrooms.