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)
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s official entrance age to pre-primary education is three years old. The country’s net enrolment rate for pre-primary for both sexes was last measured in 2012 at 12.05%
FEE-FREE STATUS
Early Childhood Education policies are inconsistent across the country. In 8 (out of 10) cantons in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Brčko District, 5-year-olds are required to attend pre-primary education. The programme is free of charge for up to 5 hours a week. In Republika Srpska, pre-primary education is not compulsory, though it is also free of charge. The rest of ECCE is supplemented by tuition.
Governance
At the state level, pre-primary education is coordinated by the Ministry of Civil Affairs of BiH and the technical body of the Agency for Preschool, Primary and Secondary Education.
Pre-primary education primarily falls under the responsibility of the relevant administrative unit under their own Ministry of Education. This includes the ten cantons, Republika Srpska, and Brčko District. Preschool education is regulated by the laws set by the relevant administrative unit on preschool education. The laws must be consistent with the framework law on preschool education. Examples from each administrative unit are highlighted throughout this profile.
In most administrative units, preschool education is managed and funded from the budget of local municipalities. Kindergarten (the year before enrolment into primary school) is managed by entity/cantonal ministries of education.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
The Entity governments (the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska) allocate education funds to the Cantons (within the Federation of BiH) or municipalities (within Republika Srpska), and the budgeting at this level is largely input- and norm-based. The resources allocated at the state level remain limited and are not guided by explicit equity considerations.
2. Education resources to institutions
Pre-primary institutions are funded primarily by the founder. For a public institution, this could be one of the 12 administrative units or a local self-governing unit. Private institutions can be founded by religious communities or individuals.
In the Republika Srpska, the founder of a public preschool institution determines how much the schools will receive from the local self-government units based on the economic price of the established services of the institution. The Ministry of the Republika Srpka funds worker salaries, their professional development, and the development and evaluation of preschool work programmes. The Ministry also fully funds pre-primary programmes geared towards children in the year before attending primary school. Any income generated by tuition fees goes back to the local self-government unit.
In the Una-Sana Canton, public pre-primary institutions are established by the municipal council. The council is also responsible for providing the institutions with the funds necessary. In Una-sana, municipalities may also co-finance private preschool institutions.
In the Zenica-Doboj Canton, public pre-primary institutions are established by the city/municipal council. Funds are primarily provided by the school’s founder. Mandatory preschool education is co-financed from the cantonal budget, which covers staff wages and school materials.
The Brčko District establishes and finances the public preschool institutions in its area. The funds must be enough to cover staff wages, material costs, basic equipment and teaching aids, consumables, maintenance, and didactic materials. The District Department of Health co-finances certain health-related programmes such as consumables, health examinations, and preventative programmes.
In Posavina Canton, local counties fund pre-primary classes that are part of elementary schools. The counties also fund salaries and professional development for all teachers of the one year of free, mandatory pre-school. Otherwise, founders bear the costs of salaries, materials, facilities, and nutrition. Founders must allocate budgets to develop activities for children with special needs, national minorities (including Roma children), and veterans’ children.
In Central Bosnian Canton, the founder is responsible for funding salaries, meals, transportation, and facilities. The founder’s budget is required to designate funds for children with special needs and national minorities (especially the Roma). The canton’s Ministry of Education provides pre-school institutions with funds for development programmes, didactic materials, and specialized work programmes.
In Sarajevo Canton, founders bear the costs of running pre-primary schools, however, the Canton’s Ministry of Education funds the one year of mandatory pre-primary education in public institutions.
3. Education resources to students and families
Each administrative unit puts in place its own programmes to support students and families. Many help to co-finance the preschool education of marginalised children. For example:
In Republika Srpska, the local government unit helps families co-finance the preschool education for children with developmental disabilities, orphans, children affected by domestic violence, and children whose families are beneficiaries of state financial assistance.
The West Herzegovina Canton funds the cost of pre-school education for children with special needs.
In Tuzla Canton and Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, the Cantons co-finance education for orphans, children with special needs, children of people with disabilities, children of victims of war, children of unemployed or single parents, children of social welfare beneficiaries, and children of full-time students.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
Child Allowances
The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska both provide family and child allowances in the form of cash transfers. These programmes are managed at the cantonal level with mixed sources of financing (entity, canton, municipal) and differing parameters. The Federation of BiH’s 2022 Law on Material Support to Families with Children provides monthly allowances to poor families and families of children with disabilities. Families qualify if the total monthly income per member is 40% or less of the lowest wage in the Federation. The child allowance provided is equivalent to 19% of the lowest salary in the Federation. While the federal level has established a baseline for care, cantons can redefine eligibility criteria or expand on the policies. As such, the income eligibility criteria for child allowances vary widely in each canton.
Other ministries in administrative units also help subsidise the cost of pre-primary education. For example:
The Ministry of Health and Social Policy in the Una-Sana canton helps to co-finance part of the cost for orphans, children with disabilities, children of disabled people, children affected by war, children in families who are recipients of social benefits, children of single parents, children of unemployed parents, children of full-time students, and children from foster families. These same students are also co-financed in Zenica-Doboj Canton under the Ministry of Labour, Social Police, Displaced Persons and Refugees; and the Ministry of Social Policy, Health, Displaced Persons and Refugees of the Bosnian-Podrinje Canton. In Canton 10 (Herzeg-Bosnia) the municipal service responsible for social welfare co-finances costs for a similar subset of children.
This profile was reviewed by Dr. Hatidza Jahic, Associate Professor.
