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 Djibouti, education financing is centralised and managed by the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training (MENFOP)’s central administration, which oversees the implementation of education policies and programmes nationwide. The Finance Department within the Ministry of Education is responsible for preparing and executing the Ministry’s budgets. It monitors and coordinates budget implementation, and analyses costs of Ministry actions. It also conducts financial studies, and oversees the budgets, finances, and accounts of public schools.
Regional Education headquarters report directly to the MENFOP’s Secretary General. They work closely with the Regional Education Directorates (DRE). Their role is to coordinate the administrative and financial management of educational institutions across all levels. This role supports the effective implementation of national policies throughout the regions.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
Communes do not receive transfers directly from the State budget; funds are channelled through regional councils as endowments distributed according to population size. However, the Budget Department’s method for distributing resources between regional councils and the communes of Djibouti City is not set out in a publicly available legal or regulatory instrument. Each year, regional councils submit budget requests to the Ministry of the Budget and propose how these transfers should be allocated across budget headings. Consequently, there is no explicit equity mechanism in the allocation of resources to subnational governments.
In 2024, the former Regional Education Services (SREs) were replaced by Regional Education Directorates (DREs) to modernise the organisation of the Ministry of National Education, Technical and Vocational Training (MENFOP). While SREs functioned largely as regional inspectorates with limited local autonomy, nearly all resource management remained centralised. DREs are designed to oversee all public education services—from preschool to general secondary—and to implement government education policy in inland regions. DREs operate as deconcentrated ministerial structures rather than subnational governments. Their allocations reflect internal ministerial budgeting, unless a defined transfer mechanism to territorial authorities is documented (Law n° 113/AN/24/9ème L, reorganisation du MENFOP).
According to the Schéma directeur 2021-2035, DREs’ missions and competences are being strengthened with additional human and financial resources. Among the powers devolved to the regions are the management of school transport and accommodation, school maintenance, and all examination boards. DREs now include offices dedicated to these functions as well as statistics and school mapping, gender and girls’ schooling, school health, and co-curricular education. Unlike the SREs, DREs receive budget allocations to carry out their assigned missions and services.
However, the information provided does not specify allocation criteria that reflect regional disadvantage. This limits the classification of these allocations as equity-oriented.
2. Education resources to schools
At the school level, teachers’ salaries are paid by the Ministry of the Budget, while MENFOP provides teaching materials and equipment. Schools submit their needs through OPAD, a data collection software. Head of teachers lead an annual needs assessment. They use a material monitoring grids. MENFOP consolidates these grids centrally. MENFOP maintains allocation tables that account for school size and enrollment. These tables include adjustment criteria for annual equipment allocations. Maintenance costs are managed by Parent-Teacher Associations (APE), chaired by elementary school principals. Additionally, school cooperatives, managed by parents and teaching staff, collect voluntary annual contributions per pupil for supplies, teaching aids, maintenance, and examination fees. They may finance extracurricular activities. They usually do not report centrally. They operate in both primary and secondary schools.
Access to Quality Education Programme
Before the Schéma directeur 2021-2035 period, MENFOP collaborated with GPE and UNICEF through the Access to Quality Education Programme launched in 2013. The project was funded through a GPE grant managed by the World Bank. The initiative supported classroom construction and the rehabilitation/extension of schools in rural areas. It also supported teacher training and student learning materials. In addition, it financed assistive devices, including hearing aids and eyeglasses, for students who needed them.
Integrated Rural Schools (Écoles Rurales Intégrées, ERI)
Since 2022, MENFOP has tested the ERI approach with UNICEF support. In the South, Qatar Charity has supported field missions linked to school infrastructure. ERI seeks to expand access and retention in rural and landlocked areas. ERIs offer the national curriculum. They add basic social services around the school. The model places girls schooling at the centre and relies on community participation. Implementation includes pilot sites such as Dhanan (Ali Sabieh) and Balbala PK14, where expansion and rehabilitation works are underway. The four-year project (2022–2026) targets all regions, with a focus on rural and peri-urban areas where educational challenges are most acute.
ERI forms part of the Support for Girls’ Education and Empowerment (SEFA) initiative, which aims to reduce inequalities in access for girls and vulnerable children. It supports school construction and rehabilitation and strengthens teacher capacity. According to the Schéma directeur 2021–2035, an ERI consists of a fundamental school (pre-school to grade 9) at the centre of a village. It includes essential social services and uses participatory community management. This reduces the number of isolated children without access to education. Transportation and accommodation services, such as dormitories, are provided to reach children in remote areas. The ERI package also includes a school canteens, WASH (EHA) facilities, and teacher housing.
3. Education resources to students and families
The Schéma directeur 2021-2035 outlines measures to support education for disadvantaged children in rural areas, with plans to extend these initiatives to disadvantaged urban areas. Proposed actions include the potential implementation of direct financial incentives, such as school grants or family allowances, and in-kind assistance, such as food aid, targeting the most vulnerable families. These measures could be implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Solidarity (MASS).
In addition, UNICEF reports large-scale provision of school kits. UNICEF also reports support to refugee children through student kits and related measures that facilitated enrolment for 3,339 refugee children across levels. However, direct cash transfers led by MENFOP have not been identified.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
Programme national de solidarité famille (National Programme of Family Solidarity)
Launched in January 2015, the National Programme of Family Solidarity is managed by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Solidarity through the Secretariat for National Solidarity (SESN) and funded by national budget allocations as well as international partners, including the World Bank and UNICEF. The programme seeks to combat extreme poverty by supporting vulnerable households, including those with young or school-aged children, elderly dependents, or disabled members, through unconditional quarterly cash transfers to the female head of household. PNSF employs a dual targeting mechanism: a Proxy Means Test (PMT) in urban areas and community-based targeting in rural zones. All beneficiaries are registered in Djibouti’s national social registry to prevent duplication and improve coordination. Eligible households receive quarterly cash transfers alongside training on child health, education, birth registration, hygiene, nutrition, and women’s empowerment.
Other education linked social protection progamme
Beyond the PNSF, the Integrated Cash Transfer and Human Capital Project (PITCH) finances conditional quarterly cash transfers of 30,000 DJF to eligible households. The programme links cash receipt to participation in community sessions, which acts as programme conditionalities. These sessions explicitly cover school attendance as pat of the human-capital package. In addition, the project funds system support that expand and operationalizes the targeting and payment delivery platform used by PNSF.
5. School meal programmes
National School Feeding Programme
Established in 2013 under the MENFOP, the National School Feeding Programme aims to improve food security and educational outcomes for school-aged children, with a focus on rural areas. The programme provides one nutritious meal per day to vulnerable students and quarterly take-home rations, mitigating the effects of hunger on school attendance, cognitive development, and academic performance. It also serves as an incentive to increase enrollment, reduce dropout rates, and promote gender parity in education.
Targeting prioritises children in rural areas across all five regions of Djibouti—Arta, Ali-Sabieh, Dikhil, Obock, Tadjourah—and in the suburban area of Djibouti Ville, particularly those in primary and upper-primary schools with low access to education and high food insecurity. Implementation and funding involve collaboration with international partners, including the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF, which provide logistical support and guidance on nutrition and hygiene education. Meals are customised to align with local dietary preferences, and the programme supports local economies by sourcing food from smallholder farmers.
This profile was reviewed by Abdourahmane Ba, Senior Expert in Evidence, Management, and Development Strategy.
