This document is an English-language abstract (approximately 1,500 words) of a comprehensive survey describing the growth of primary schooling in the UAR during the 19th and 20th centuries. Different types of elementary schools were unified in 1951 into one category, and in 1953, all fees were abolished and primary certificate examinations were discontinued. Since 1956, education has been compulsory for the first six grades; examinations were devised for admission to the next level. The Ministry of Education found it difficult to provide elementary education with existing resources, and so established morning and afternoon sessions. Efforts have been made to dispatch as many teachers as possible to rural areas. Promotion from one grade to another depends on annual marks. To better evaluate results, elementary schools are now employing methods to encourage gifted children, and give extra assistance to slow learners. For promotion to the fifth grade, passing marks must be obtained in religion, Arabic, arithmetic, and geometry. In all primary schools, parents' councils cooperate with teachers and local authorities responsible for matters of education. Curricula, administration, and laws governing education in the UAR are also discussed. (Author/GDB)