Financing for equity in pre-primary education
1. Education resources to subnational governments
2. Education resources to institutions
3. Education resources to students and families
4. Social policies and family support programmes
Introduction
Key financing indicators (UIS Data)
In the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the official entry age for pre-primary education is 5 years old, with one year of free and compulsory pre-primary education established by law. Data on net enrolment rate for pre-primary education is not available from the UIS.
Governance
According to Articles 46–51 of the Education Law, the financing and oversight of general education (보통교육), which includes pre-primary, primary, and secondary education, are carried out under the unified leadership of the Cabinet (내각). The central education guidance institution (중앙교육지도기관) and regional People’s Committees (지방인민위원회) are responsible for guiding, managing, and supervising education activities within this sector. Article 49 specifies that funds required for general education are guaranteed through the State or social cooperative budgets, and that financial and banking institutions must properly prepare and fully secure these resources.
Pre-primary education financing operates within this centrally planned framework, with regional authorities implementing policies and managing funds allocated from the central level.
Tuition-free status
According to the Education Law and the Childcare and Education Law, the State fully finances early childhood institutions such as nurseries and pre-primary education through the national budget
1. Education resources to subnational governments
No evidence is found of any decentralized or equity-based funding mechanisms for pre-primary.
2. Education resources to institutions
According to Articles 15 and 25 of the Education Law (2015) and Articles 40 and 41 of the Childcare and Education Law, the government is responsible for operating and supporting institutions such as schools for children with disabilities (blind and deaf schools), as well as childcare institutions for orphans (육아원, 교양원). These laws clearly assign the State, the central education guidance institution, and local People’s Committees the duty to manage, staff, and provide living and learning conditions for children. However, no detailed information is available on how these institutions are financed or what specific funding mechanisms are used in practice.
3. Education resources to students and families
No evidence is found of any financial support mechanisms for pre-primary education. According to the Education Law and the Childcare and Education Law, the State fully finances early childhood institutions such as nurseries and pre-primary education through the national budget, but there are no references to direct financial aid for parents. Likewise, no equity-based measures or targeted assistance for specific groups are mentioned in available legal or policy documents.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
No evidence was found of any social policy or transfer programme designed to improve access to pre-primary education.
