The U.S. Office of Education has undertaken the preparation of a series of basic studies on education in a number of Central and South American countries under the sponsorship of the Interdepartmental Committee on Cultural and Scientific Cooperation. This series of studies is part of a program to promote understanding of educational conditions in the American countries and to encourage cooperation in the field of Inter-American education. The project, a part of a Government-wide program of cultural cooperation under the auspices of the Department of State, was begun in the fall of 1943. This document is based on data gathered by the author in Bolivia in 1947 and supplemented since then through documentation. Its contents include background information on this South American country, plus: (1) Evolution of Education in Bolivia, providing an overview of the historical development and current status of education; (2) Elementary Education, describing the aim, organization and operation of kindergarten or preprimary education, urban elementary schools, and rural schools; (3) Secondary Education, covering the aim, organization and operation of secondary education, compulsory military service, teacher qualifications and load, and the American Institute in La Paz; (4) Vocational and Special Schools, describing the public vocational schools for boys and for girls, including the Pedro Domingo Murillo National Industrial School, elementary and advanced cycles of the commercial schools, university technical institutes, schools of fine arts, and the Military School; (5) Teacher Education, presenting teacher preparation options at the National Teachers School, Normal Institute of La Paz and the rural normal schools, as well as administration and oversight of provisional teachers, teacher classification and pay, pensions, and the Institute of Pedagogical Investigations; and (6) Higher Education, describing the aims and organization of the Bolivian University, and the programs available at its 7 component universities--University of San Francisco Xavier (Sucre), University of San Andres (La Paz), University of Cochabamba (Cochabamba), University of Tomas Frias (Potosi), University of Gabriel Rene Moreno (Santa Cruz), Technical University (Oruro), and University Misael Saracho (Tarija). A bibliography is included. (Contains 41 footnotes, 26 tables, and 3 charts.) [Best copy available has been provided.]