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 Seychelles, the official entry age for pre-primary education has been set at 4 years old. While data on the number of years of free and compulsory pre-primary education is not available, the net enrolment rate for pre-primary amounted to 72.95% as of 2024.
Governance
Pre-primary education in Seychelles is provided mainly through a nationwide crèche system that serves children from about three years of age until entry into primary school, with most crèches operating as part of, or alongside, public primary schools.
The Ministry of Education is responsible for the overall governance of these state crèches, including the organisation of public provision, staffing, infrastructure, and the broader education budget within which pre-primary services are funded.
The Institute of Early Childhood Development (IECD) complements this role as a semi-autonomous body that oversees the wider early childhood development sector from birth to eight years of age, carrying out policy coordination, regulation, quality assurance, programme development, research, data management and the administration of financial assistance schemes for registered early childhood service providers. As part of these responsibilities, the IECD also manages the National ECCE Trust Fund, a grant mechanism designed to mobilise additional resources for early childhood initiatives beyond the government’s regular budget. Through this Fund, crèches, schools and community organisations can access competitive grants to improve learning environments, expand programme quality, and pilot innovative approaches that strengthen early childhood services.
Tuition-free status
Public pre-primary education is not tuition-free according to national laws and policies.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
There is no clearly defined mechanism for allocating education funding to subnational governments with explicit consideration of equity.
2. Education resources to institutions
Supporting learners with Additional Educational Needs (AEN)
The AEN initiative provides additional public resources directly to pre-primary institutions to strengthen their capacity to support children with developmental delays and diverse learning needs. Funded through the Ministry of Education’s recurrent budget, the programme allocates extra financing to schools and crèche-level teams to improve intervention systems, enhance assessment and monitoring practices, and facilitate coordinated support with health and social agencies. These resources also enable institutions to receive targeted technical assistance, professional development for teachers, and materials required to implement inclusive practices. By directing supplementary funding to the institutional level rather than relying solely on household or individual support, the initiative functions as an equity-oriented subsidy that helps public pre-primary schools address varying learner needs and reduce early disparities in developmental outcomes.
3. Education resources to students and families
No evidence was found of any direct financial support mechanisms for pre-primary education administered by the Ministry of Education, as existing subsidies and equity-oriented assistance are delivered instead through IECD and the Agency for Social Protection.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
The Financial Assistance
The Financial Assistance for Registered Day Care and Childminding Services is a national programme toreduce the cost of childcare before children enter formal preschool or crèche education. Under this scheme, all Seychellois children enrolled in a registered day care or childminding service are eligible to receive monthly support, with a fixed contribution per child paid towards service fees. Implemented jointly by the Institute of Early Childhood Development (IECD) for the registration process and the agency for Social Protection for disbursements, the programme helps ease the financial burden on parents and ensures more children have access to regulated early childhood services that meet national quality standards.
This profile was reviewed by Dr Marina Confait, consultant.
