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 three. Free pre-primary education is not granted in legal frameworks. Compulsory pre-primary education is not granted in legal frameworks. The net enrolment rate for pre-primary for both sexes decreased from 37.6% in 2013 to 33.5% in 2024.
Governance
The Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MEHRD) is the primary government agency responsible for financing pre-primary education, allocating and overseeing education budgets.
According to the 2023 Education Act, funding provided by provincial executives, churches, faiths, other non-government organisations and communities are the ‘primary sources of funding for early childhood education'.
The early childhood education system covers children aged 3-5. In 2018, the Primary Preparation Year (PPY) programme was introduced as a component of the primary education system, supporting the transition of 5-year-olds to primary schooling and funded by the MEHRD. The MEHRD aims to achieve the full enrolment of 5-year-olds by 2030.
Tuition-free status
Free pre-primary education is not granted in legal frameworks.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
Public funding for pre-primary education is provided through the 2024 Education Funding Code, which covers all registered Early Childhood Education (ECE) centres as schools under the 2023 Education Act.
The 2023 Education Act decentralized roles and responsibilities from MEHRD to local education authorities. Provincial Education Boards are responsible for exercising oversight over early childhood education, primary and secondary education in their respective provinces, working together with the MEHRD on coordinating the funding of these levels. Government funding may be provided to Provincial Education Boards, instead of to schools or early childhood education centres directly.
2. Education resources to institutions
Grants for pre‑primary education are channeled directly from MEHRD to the bank accounts of all registered ECE centres, in accordance with the 2023 Education Act and the 2024 Education Funding Code. The grant system covers all public, church, and private ECE centers registered under the Act, and Education Providers, including provincial governments, church agencies, and other approved bodies, are responsible for grant administration and compliance.
ECE school and ECE centre grants comprise three components: a per‑student allocation based on enrolment reported through the Solomon Islands Education Management Information System (SIEMIS), a school administration grant, and a remote‑area grant for centres in geographically isolated locations, as set out in the Education Funding Code issued under the Education Act 2023. The per‑student entitlement is periodically adjusted by the Permanent Secretary and disbursed in two tranches each year, the first based on the previous year’s SIEMIS data and the second on current‑year enrolments, while the administration grant is a flat annual allocation for operating costs; both grants are paid directly into centres’ bank accounts, conditional on submission of biannual financial reports and up‑to‑date information in accordance with the Act, Education Regulations 2024 and the Education Funding Code. The remote‑area component provides an additional fixed grant to eligible centers to offset higher costs of transport, communication, and reporting in hard‑to‑reach locations, and may be complemented by in‑kind provision of basic materials through the Education Resource Unit, where centres choose.
3. Education resources to students and families
Financial support mechanisms for pre-primary education from MEHRD are primarily channelled through institutional grants to Education Authorities and schools rather than direct payments to families. The government does not provide subsidies, vouchers, grants, or tax support directly to parents for pre-primary education enrollment.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
No information was found on government-funded social policies aimed at improving access to pre-primary education by ministries other than MEHRD.
