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)
The official entrance age to pre-primary education is 3. In 2023, the number of years of free pre-primary education granted in legal frameworks was 3. There are no years of compulsory pre-primary education granted in legal frameworks. The net enrolment rate for pre-primary for both sexes was 9% in 2018.
Governance
The ministry responsible for oversight and funding of pre-school education is the Ministry of Pre-School, Primary, Secondary and Literacy, le Ministère de l'Enseignement pré-scolaire, primaire, secondaire et de l'alphabétisation (MEPPSA). Organization of pre-school education is governed by Law 20/80 of 1980 and constitutes the first cycle of formal education.
Tuition-free status
Public pre-primary education is tuition-free for 3 years according to UIS data on legal frameworks (2023), reflecting national policies that guarantee free access to the full pre-primary cycle under the 2026 reform project law making the third year compulsory alongside primary.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
Budgets for education, which include allocations for pre-primary, are set at the national level. No evidence was found of additional funding mechanisms for pre-primary education.
As of 2025, there are plans in place to decentralise the administration of basic education to the municipalities.
2. Education resources to institutions
Four types of preschool providers exist: state provision, private provision, type 1 convention schools, which were nationalised in 1965 but retain links to the civil sector, and type 2 convention schools, which are owned by the civil sector. Despite a commitment to free preschool education, no preschool providers receive government funding, and they continue to be financed primarily through parental contributions.
Observe-Reflect-Act (ORA) schools operate in indigenous communities; however, these schools are funded by the private sector.
3. Education resources to students and families
No evidence was found of any programme directing resources to students and families.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
The 2012 law on the protection of the family and children in difficulty provides support to children in need, conditional on school registration. In practice, the Lisungi social safety nets programme, funded through a combination of World Bank credit and grants, is the largest scheme in operation, reaching 73,617 families through its conditional cash transfer component. Payment conditions include regular visits to health centres for children under 23 months and regular school attendance for those over six years of age; as such, the programme has no formal link to pre-primary education.
The government has committed to expanding conditional cash transfers in its 2023 Social Assistance Policy.
