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 was 3 years old in 2023. In 2023, the number of years of free pre-primary education granted in legal frameworks was 3 years, and the number of years of compulsory pre-primary education granted in legal frameworks was 1. For 2024, the net enrolment rate for pre-primary for both sexes was 28,32%.
Governance
The Secretariat of Education (SEDUC) oversees the formulation, development, and evaluation of policies for the country's Formal Education System, ensuring compulsory education for children aged 5 to 6 through official kindergartens, non-formal preschool centers (CEPENF), and community school initiation centers (CCIE).
Funding for education is organised at both central and local levels. At the central level, the government allocates resources according to each school’s fixed and operational costs. The Ministry of Educationoversees planning, regulation, resource administration, supervision, and transparency across the education system, ensuring the effective implementation of national policies for pre-basic, basic, and secondary education. At the local level, funding is distributed based on the per-student unit cost, with priority given to areas experiencing the highest levels of educational exclusion. Local allocations focus on improving infrastructure, learning materials, and technology, while also supporting compensatory social programmes to address inequities. The Ministry prepares its budget based on the needs expressed by educational centres, ensuring that funds are directed to achieve measurable improvements in education outcomes.
The allocation of national public funds to education is governed by the 2011 Fundamental Law of Education, which establishes principles of rationality and equity among educational levels.
Tuition-free status
Pre-primary education is tuition-free, according to laws and policies.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
First, the School Development Councils define the school's needs, reflected in the School Education Project (PEC). The budget prepared according to the PEC is then submitted to the higher authorities for consideration in the Secretary of State for Education's General Budget.
At the district and municipal levels, District and Municipal Education Directorates act as technical pedagogical advisory units, supporting schools in achieving educational goals and quality learning under the authority of the Departmental Directorates. They operate with assigned budgets to carry out their functions. Municipal Councils for Educational Development (COMDEs) coordinate strategic plans to enhance educational outcomes. COMDEs report their achievements and the list of educational centres adhering to the academic calendar to the Secretariat of State in the Office of Education, informing the distribution of central government incentives. These incentives include funding for educational centres, scholarships and bonuses for students, economic recognition and training opportunities for teachers, and support for school infrastructure and resources. Honourary recognition is also awarded to outstanding teachers, students, parents, mayors, and educational centres.
Finally, at the departmental level, Departmental Education Directorates are responsible for administering human and financial resources within their jurisdiction. The opening and expansion of educational centres, as well as the creation of teaching positions, remain the exclusive responsibility of the Secretariat of State in the Office of Education, exercised through the Departmental Directorates.
2. Education resources to institutions
Article 40 of the Fundamental Law on Education mandates the Secretary of State in the Office of Education to create targeted health and nutrition programmes for areas of high social exclusion to ensure completion of compulsory pre-basic education. Article 13 establishes a support system for students with special educational needs and talents from the pre-basic level onward. Additionally, the Secretary must promote alternative methods for delivering universal compulsory pre-primary education in coordination with non-governmental institutions.
Article 16 of Executive Agreement No. 1376-SE-2014 mandates that official educational centres, including alternative modalities, provide social incentive programmes during the compulsory pre-basic education year to promote attendance and retention. These programmes include learning tools and resources approved by governments as social compensation. The Secretary of State for Education, in coordination with the Secretary of State for Social Development and private agencies, oversees the definition, monitoring, and evaluation of these programmes.
The Secretary of Education launched a Care Plan for the Protection of the Educational Trajectories of Pre-primary, Primary, and Secondary Students: 2021-2023. The Plan aims to ensure the right to education by establishing conditions for pre-primary students to complete compulsory education. It guides the Secretary of Education's management in key areas such as school infrastructure, sanitation, human resources, access to information and communication technologies, and funding for educational services. Additionally, it seeks to implement targeted strategies for including vulnerable students to ensure they remain in the educational process and access to education.
3. Education resources to students and families
No financial support mechanisms for pre-primary education (by the ministry in charge of pre-primary education) have been identified.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
No current social policies aimed at improving access to pre-primary education have been identified.
