A/HRC/7/67 page 14 education. While 32.2 per cent of births in the rural areas are delivered by a health professional and only 25.5 per cent in a health facility, in urban areas these rates are 78.8 per cent and 63.5 per cent respectively. Consequently, maternal mortality and morbidity have increased, including obstetric fistula. 54. The child mortality rate is a basic indicator of a country’s social economic level and quality of life. In Liberia, the situation of vaccination of children is alarming; 12 per cent of children have received no vaccination at all. As a result, Liberia has one of the highest under-5 mortality rates in the world (235 children per 1,000 live births). 55. HIV/AIDS is a serious public health threat in Liberia, with a prevalence of 5.2 per cent. According to a survey by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, women are slightly more likely to be HIV positive than men (1.8 versus 1.2 per cent). HIV prevalence is about three times higher in urban areas than in rural areas (2.5 per cent and 0.8 per cent, respectively). Women with elementary education have the highest prevalence, at 6.6 per cent. 56. In spite of the dire need for adequate mental health facilities, particularly in the light of the traumas of the civil war, the entire country has only one mental health clinic. E. Right to education 57. The civil war has completely destroyed 20 per cent of schools, while many of those remaining are in urgent need of repair. Only 24 per cent of children enrolled in public primary schools have access to desks and chairs, and many classrooms do not have blackboards, desks or chairs for teachers. The quality of education is in a critical state, with the current pupil to textbook ratio in public primary and secondary schools at 27:1 and 9:1, respectively. 58. Thanks to the promotion of a free and compulsory primary school policy since 2006, the country has seen a great increase in enrolment, especially among girls. In public primary schools, the enrolment of girls increased by 24 per cent between 2006 and 2007 compared with 18 per cent for boys during the same period. The large increases in student enrolment have created, however, new strain on a critically under-resourced public primary school system. Compounding the serious problems in the sector, poorly paid teachers are now faced with large classes representing a broad range of ages. 59. Primary school enrolment of boys is 458,012 against 436,394 of girls (school year 2005-6). However, the geographic distribution of primary education enrolment is very uneven throughout the country. Two counties, Montserrado and Nimba, account for over half of enrolments. These two counties also have the greatest share of the population, but their share of enrolments is proportionally greater. 60. There is a significant disparity in access to secondary school: few female students attain the minimum qualification to gain access to higher levels of education, particularly in the Grand Kru, Lofa and River Cess Counties.