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 Morocco, the official entry age for pre-primary education is 4 years old as of 2024. However, in 2025, Morocco approved Draft Law No. 59.21, introduced by the Ministry of National Education, Preschool and Sports, making education compulsory from age 2. While information on the number of years of free and compulsory pre-primary education is not available, between 2000 and 2024, the net enrolment rate for pre-primary education constantly increased, starting at 51.09 % and rising to around 70.46 %
Governance
The Ministry of National Education, Preschool, and Sports (MENPS) is primarily responsible for planning, allocating, and overseeing budgets related to pre-primary education. It leads the development of national programmes and provides direct funding from the state budget to support preschool expansion and quality improvements. MENPS centrally directs budget execution and supervision, while regional and provincial governments, known as the Regional Academies for Education and Training (AREFs) and Provincial Directorates (DPs), collaborate in the actual implementation and monitoring at the local level.
Additionally, the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH), under the Ministry of the Interior, supports local authorities and partners to coordinate early learning services and strengthen local governance for preschool expansion. The INDH provides earmarked funds to its provincial and regional committees, which then sign partnership contracts with local authorities (communes) and accredited non-profit associations (like FMPS and Zakoura).
Tuition-free status
Preschool lasts for two years and, since 2020, is free and compulsory for all four- and five-year-old children. This is established by Framework Law 51-17 (2019) and the Vision stratégique nationale pour la réforme de l'éducation 2015-2030, which made the two-year preschool cycle (ages 4-6, petite and moyenne sections) free and progressively compulsory since the 2020/21 school year in public écoles maternelles.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
The state budget provides the main source of financing for preschool expansion and quality improvement, and funds are disbursed to AREFs and DPs for local implementation. Law No. 51-17 on education reform established principles and mechanisms for budget planning and accountability between MENPS and the AREFs. It defines funding priorities, oversight measures, and ensures that regional budgets are aligned with national goals for universal preschool access.
However, no evidence was found of any per-child allocation rate or formalised calculation formula specifically dedicated to pre-primary education, including one that incorporates explicit equity components.
2. Education resources to institutions
Equity-targeted institutional subsidies for pre-primary education are delivered through the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH), which prioritises support for disadvantaged areas, including rural communes and remote or mountainous zones, rather than being provided directly by the MENPS.
The National Initiative for Human Development (INDH) provides institution-level support to expand and improve preschool provision in disadvantaged rural areas through a partnership model coordinated with the MENPS. Under the programme, a framework agreement with MENPS is complemented by specific implementation agreements at central, regional and provincial levels, clearly defining each actor’s commitments. INDH aims to address service deficits in rural douars without primary schools by upgrading existing preschool units and creating new units, while also financing the first two years of operation for newly established units. The programme operates through partnerships with qualified foundations, associations and civil-society organizations capable of managing and supervising preschool activities. Funding agreements at each governance level specify the targeted regions, the number and location of units to be created or upgraded, project management arrangements for construction and equipping, and responsibilities for training educators, managing classrooms, and monitoring service quality. Eligibility for preschool support prioritises children in disadvantaged regions, rural students as experiencing school failure.
3. Education resources to students and families
While there is no evidence of a financial support mechanism specifically targeting pre-primary education in Morocco, since 2018, the government has implemented a nationwide programme to expand preschool access for all children aged 4-6, to achieve universal coverage by 2028.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
Direct Social Assistance (Aide Sociale Directe)
Led by the Ministry of Interior, the programme aims to provide universal, non-contributory income support to Moroccan households with children by delivering monthly child allowances, birth grants, school-entry support, and additional top-ups for orphans, children with disabilities, and school-enrolled children. It targets all children aged 0–17, with a particular focus on low-income families. For children under the age of five, the benefit amount will increase gradually from 200 dirhams per month starting in December 2023, to 250 dirhams in 2025, and to 300 dirhams from 2026 onwards.
This profile was reviewed by Abdennasser Naji, Researcher and Expert in Education.
