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
Article 67 of the 1991 Constitution (rev. 2015) establishes that education shall be free of charge in state institutions. Through Decree No. 4807 of December 20, 2011, the conditions for the application of free education for students in preschool, primary, secondary, and middle school (Grades 0 to 11) in state educational institutions were established, and other provisions were issued for its implementation. According to this decree, free education is understood as ‘exemption from the payment of academic fees and complementary services.’ The 1991 Constitution (rev. 2015) also mandates education for children ages 5-15, including one year of preschool and nine years of basic education.
Education is overseen by the Ministry of National Education and further managed by local certified territorial entities,Entidades Territoriales Certificadas (ETC). According to Law 715 of 2001, the government certifies departments, districts, and municipalities as ETCs based on population size and on regulations governing their technical, administrative, and financial capacities. The allocation of resources is then established through the Sistema General de Participaciones (SGP) and transferred to the ETCs in accordance with Article 140 of Law 1450 of 2011.
The education budget covers general management operating expenses such as teacher salaries, social security, and bonuses; construction and maintenance of buildings; and school supplies such as paper products. The budget also covers education programmes such as the education of girls and boys in special situations, and consultative bodies. There are several sources of financing for education, the most important of which is the money from national transfers made through the Sistema General de Participaciones (SGP), or the General Participation System, from the Ministry of National Education’s budget.
The OECD has illustrated funding flows for primary and lower secondary educational institutions in Colombia.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
The General System of Participation (SGP)
The General System of Participation (SGP) was created in 2001 under Law 715 of 2001 to distribute resources from the central government to the Certified Territorial Entities (ETC), mainly for education, health services, and basic sanitation (Table 1). The SGP corresponds to the resources that the central government transfers by mandate of articles 356 and 357 of the 1991 Constitution (rev. 2015), to the ETCs and to the indigenous reserves, for the financing of the services they are responsible for, in health, education, drinking water and basic sanitation and the other areas or services assigned in Laws 715 of 2001 and 1176 of 2007. The SGP is composed of: i) a group of special allocations and ii) a group composed of sectoral allocations. 58.5% of the SGP is budgeted for education.
Under Law 715 of 2001, Colombia’s central government determines the amount of education resources transferred to Certified Territorial Entities (ETC) based on technical criteria. The formula considers three main factors: the number of students served, service provision efficiency, and equity. According to Decree 1075 of 2015, the quality component of the General System of Transfers (SGP) also reflects the official enrolment numbers, adjusted for institutional performance and progress in educational improvement.
To strengthen equity, the allocation formula applies differentiated per-student amounts by educational level and geographic zone, with additional weights for students facing greater needs. These include:
- 60% extra for students at risk of dropping out,
- 20% extra for students with disabilities, with exceptional abilities, or enrolled in juvenile justice (SRPA) or child protection (JU) programmes, and
- Additional support for students in boarding schools, with a 50% increase for those in newly created departments and 25% in other ETCs.
This design seeks to channel more resources to vulnerable populations and disadvantaged territories, helping to reduce inequities in education provision across the country.
A smaller proportion of the budget is distributed according to equity criteria, based on population and poverty information from the last census. The values may be further adjusted for rural schools and schools that have students with special educational needs. Article 28 asks departments, districts, and municipalities to give priority to investment that benefits the poorest strata, without detriment to the universal right to education.
A recent SGP reform aims to substantially increase the amount of resources transferred to territories, from 24% of the national budget to 39%.
PROMISE (Programa para mejorar la equidad, las competencias socioemocionales y los aprendizajes / Programme to Improve Equity, Socio-Emotional Skills, and Learning)
PROMISE (Program for Improving Learning Outcomes and Socioemotional Education) is a World Bank–supported programme in Colombia that aims to improve teaching practices and school management. It channels financing to the national education system, which then supports subnational governments and schools.
Currently, the PROMISE programme focuses on enhancing school teaching and management through the Todos a Aprender Programme (PTA). The programme targets vulnerable primary schools, particularly those in challenging socioeconomic, rural, or geographic contexts. PTA also distributes textbooks in basic education, reaching a large percentage of vulnerable primary schools. The PTA is implemented in coordination with local governments and supports schools and teachers, with a focus on addressing the needs of victims of armed conflict, who account for 50% of the national total.
In the 2022 fiscal year, a loan agreement was signed between the World Bank and the Government of Colombia for implementation through the Ministry of National Education and the Unidad Administrativa Especial de Alimentación Escolar (UAPA). The Government of Colombia contributes 28% of the annual budget, while the International Reconstruction and Development Bank (IRDB) provides the remaining amount. The Ministry of National Education (MEN) manages 93.7% of the programme's expenditure, with the UAPA responsible for 6.3%.
Other Financing Sources
In addition to the SGP, Decree 4807 of 2011 (compiled in Decree 1075 of 2015) states that territorial entities may contribute other resources to the financing of free education. ETCs may finance education through: their own sources (tax and non-tax); royalties from non-renewable resources; co-financing with other levels of government or the private sector; credit; and other sources such as donations and international cooperation resources.
2. Education resources to schools
The resources for disadvantaged schools come from the SGP mentioned in the previous section of this profile. This system allocates funds to departments and municipalities based on various criteria, which then distributes the resources independently. Allocations to target groups and schools are made through a decentralized system.
3. Education resources to students and families
No specific initiative at the basic education level was found.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
The two central social policies and programmes designed to provide resources to students and their families are Más Familias en Acción (More Families in Action), which operated from 2000 to 2023, and was replaced by Renta Ciudadana (Citizen Income), launched in 2023 to address poverty through cash transfers.
Renta Ciudadana (Citizens' Income)
The Más Familias en Acción initiative was a cash transfer programme launched in 2000 as part of the Colombian government's efforts to mitigate the impacts of poverty. The initiative was designed to support families living in poverty, displaced individuals, and indigenous communities with children under 18. The programme includes an educational subsidy that promotes responsibility for school attendance among primary and secondary students. Families who received benefits under this initiative may continue to receive monetary transfers through Renta Ciudadana.
In 2023, to replace the Más Familias en Acción programme, the Law 2294 of the “National Development Plan Colombia 2022-2026” created Renta Ciudadana, a new conditional and unconditional cash transfer system, under the direction and coordination of Prosperidad Social, the National Government entity and leader of the Social Inclusion and Reconciliation sector. The programme aims to “promote the social mobility of Colombian households in extreme poverty through social, productive and financial inclusion”. Renta Ciudadana seeks to guarantee an income of between COP 220,000 and COP 500,000 per 45-day payment cycle to families living in extreme poverty, moderate poverty, and those subject to vulnerability. The financial support provided by the Renta Ciudadana programme is determined through an analysis of family structure, geographic prioritization, and grouping according to the SISBÉN (Sistema Nacional de Identificación de Beneficiarios de Programas Sociales) IV registry. According to Law 2294 of 2023, the programme includes four “lines of intervention” targeting different vulnerable groups. The lines of intervention are Valoracion de Cuidado, Colombia sin Hambre, Fortalecimiento de Capacidades, and Atención de Emergencias. The Colombia sin Hambre line of intervention prioritizes families with children under 18 and directly encourages school attendance. Receiving income through this line of intervention is conditional upon attendance in the formal education system. In accordance with the 2024 Resolution 001973, the Colombia Sin Hambre line of intervention applies the following inclusion criteria to target families: 1) households in extreme poverty with children under 6 years of age, headed by two parents; 2) households living in extreme poverty with children and adolescents between 6 and 17 years old; and 3) indigenous units with children and adolescents between 6 and 17 years old.
5. School meal programmes
Programa de Alimentación Escolar (PAE) is a Colombian government initiative that aims to promote healthier lifestyles and improved learning capacity by delivering a food supplement during the school day. The PAE was created in 1941 and is administered by the ministry-associated Special Administrative Unit for School Feeding-Food for Learning(Alimentos para Aprender), as provided for in Article 189 of Law 1955 of 2019. Alimentos para Aprender is responsible for the public policy on school meals, ensuring the food and nutritional security of children in formal education.
The regulation states that the PAE will be financed from various sources, including the MOE. The National Government, in accordance with Law 1176 of 2007 on the General Participation System (SPG), which amended Law 715 of 2001,regulates the distribution of resources from the General Budget of the Nation for school feeding programmes. The government aims to prioritize achieving universal coverage in municipalities with the highest poverty rates, as measured by the Index of Unsatisfied Basic Needs or the indicator that replaces it, determined by DANE, the National Administrative Department of Statistics, to expand coverage. The index of Unsatisfied Basic Needs includes indicators such as inadequate housing, housing with critical overcrowding, housing with insufficient services, housing with high economic dependence, and housing with school-age children who do not attend school. The distribution criteria are based on 95% equity and 5% efficiency, determined by a territory’s success in reducing school dropout rates. Territorial entities can increase quotas or enhance contributions to the General Participation System (SPG). However, expansion or qualification of the programme is not allowed unless funding for such changes is guaranteed.
Further targeting of service provisions is the responsibility of districts and municipalities, who, with
The local council for social policy will select the official educational establishments, giving priority to those serving displaced populations, rural and indigenous communities, and academic establishments with the highest poverty rate, as determined by the Sisbén System. These funds are used for all aspects of school feeding, including the purchase of food, the hiring of staff for food preparation, the transportation of food, the supplies necessary for school food services, or contracting a third party to provide school food services. Each selected educational establishment covers 100% of the students enrolled in a grade level, depending on resource availability, starting with preschool and lower primary grades. Once the total preschool and primary school population has been covered, the programme can be continued with students from sixth grade onwards.
One of the lines in which the Government is working to ensure food security for children, adolescents, and young students is the School Meals Programme for Student Recess, known as PAE+, which offers a variety of food baskets that benefit students enrolled in the municipalities prioritized by their food insecurity rates (a little more than 100 municipalities). To this end, through the Food for Learning Unit (UApa), the Ministry of National Education allocated COP 73,064,934,000 in 2024. The food baskets include different food groups and are provided to ensure students and their families have food outside school hours.
This profile was reviewed by David Fernando Forero, Associate Researcher at Fedesarrollo.
