Financing for equity in primary and secondary education
1. Education resources to subnational governments
2. Education resources to schools
3. Education resources to students and families
4. Social policies and family support programmes
Introduction
In Timor-Leste, the Ministry of Education holds primary responsibility for the planning and management of the education system, including human resources, in collaboration with the Civil Service Commission. The Ministry also oversees the allocation of material and financial resources to the education sector. Financial control and monitoring of expenditure execution in schools are delegated to Municipal bodies, which operate within their respective jurisdictions.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
Law No. 23/2021 (Local Government and Administrative Decentralisation Law) states in Article 41 that municipal bodies are responsible for participating in school network planning, managing educational facilities, investing in the construction, equipping, and maintenance of establishments, overseeing canteen management, supporting complementary educational activities, organising school transport, and coordinating with central administration to ensure the availability, storage, and distribution of school textbooks and teaching materials, among other tasks.
2. Education resources to schools
Special Education
Article 29 of the Law on Basic Education designates the State as responsible for promoting and supporting special education, with initiatives undertaken by central and local government, private and cooperative entities, private social welfare institutions, parents' and residents' associations, civic or religious organizations, and labor or employer associations.
3. Education resources to students and families
Ação Social Escolar (School Social Action)
According to the Law-Decree 06/2013, school social action services aim to support the most economically disadvantaged students through objective and transparent criteria of positive discrimination, in accordance with the law. These services include subsidised school meals, canteen services, school transport, accommodation, textbooks, school materials, and scholarships. The National Directorate for School Social Action (DNASE) is responsible for coordinating these measures and oversees the implementation of the school meals and school transport programmes.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
Decree-Law No. 18/2012 establishes the Conditional Support Grant 'Bolsa da Mãe' (Mother's Grant) for economically vulnerable households with dependent children. Aimed at reducing poverty, the grant promotes attendance at compulsory basic education and access to primary health care by providing an allowance of US$5 per child per month, with a maximum of US$15 per household.
5. School meal programmes
Programa da Merenda Escolar (School Meal Programme)
The School Meal Programme, launched in 2005 with WFP support and led by the Ministry of Education since 2012, provides subsidised meals to all students across Timor-Leste, with local governments supervising implementation as per Decree-Law 3/2016. The programme, funded at USD 0.42 per student per school day since 2022, aims to improve nutrition and school attendance without targeting specific groups. In 2023, a recipe book was developed in partnership with WFP, featuring over 65 meals made from locally sourced produce from Timor-Leste’s 13 municipalities, supporting both child nutrition and local agriculture.
