Financing for equity in primary and secondary education
1. Education resources to subnational governments
2. Education resources to schools
3. Education resources to students and families
4. Social policies and family support programmes
Introduction
In Senegal, the Ministry of Education retains primary responsibility for the planning, allocation, and oversight of education budgets from pre-primary to secondary levels. Decentralisation reforms (Acte III) have expanded the role of territorial authorities, particularly communes, but financial autonomy remains limited. Strategic planning and budget formulation remain centralized within the State budget framework. Funds are implemented through deconcentrated education services, Regional Education Inspectorates (Inspections d’Académie - IA) and Departmental Education and Training Inspectorates (Inspections de l’Éducation et de la Formation - IEF), manage education administration at regional and departmental levels under ministerial authority. This structure reflects administrative deconcentration rather than fiscal decentralization, and spending continues to prioritise personnel costs, school infrastructure, and learning inputs, with targeted measures for inclusion where programmes exist.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
The Decentralization Endowment Fund (Fonds de Dotation de la Décentralisation - FDD) is financed by a statutory allocation equivalent to a 3.5% levy on Value Added Tax (VAT) as established by Article 59 of Law No. 96-07 of 22 March 1996. The law governs the transfer of competences to regions, departments, and municipalities. It frames the FDD primarily as a compensation mechanism for transferred responsibilities, and allocation criteria are based mainly on administrative status and population size, without an explicit formula to address territorial inequities or differential needs. No evidence was identified of a systematic equity-based targeting dimension in either the allocation rules or the use of FDD resources for education.
2. Education resources to schools
The Ten-Year Education and Training Programme (Programme décennal de l’Éducation et Formation, PDEF, 2000-2010) introduced direct school-level financing mechanisms through which it provided discretionary resources to public schools. These grants enabled schools to purchase textbooks, expand access to basic ICT resources, and finance complementary pedagogical activities aligned with local needs. This marked Senegal’s first structured attempt to channel resources directly to schools as operational units, with an emphasis on school-based planning and accountability.
The Programme for Improving the Quality, Equity, and Transparency of Education and Training (Programme d’Amélioration de la Qualité, de l’Équité et de la Transparence de l’Éducation et de la Formation, PAQUET-EF) initially implemented during 2013–2015 and extended as the national sector plan for 2018–2030) builds on the PDEF approach while placing stronger emphasis on equity and quality outcomes. PAQUET-EF prioritizes targeted support to vulnerable schools and leaners, particularly in geographically isolated areas affected by poverty, food insecurity, and low enrollment. Interventions include the construction and rehabilitation of classrooms and community-based education facilities in underserved localities, the extension of preschool and basic education infrastructure. It also includes the delivery of literacy and non-formal education programmes for out-of-school children, adolescents, and adults. Through these measures, PAQUET-EF seeks to reduce structural disparities between schools and territories, even though recurrent school financing remains largely centralized.
3. Education resources to students and families
The Municipal Study Allowance for Primary Education in Dakar is available to any student enrolled in a public elementary school who is living in a precarious social situation. Applications are managed by the Department of Education and Integration Assistance (DEI), which is responsible for deciding on the allocations.
Additional Education Resources to Students and Families
Senegal has introduced education-linked support mechanisms that transfer resources to students and families. These include a Cash for Education pilot (2022–2023) implemented with UNICEF, which provided targeted cash support to poor households to help cover schooling costs and support attendance. The Ministry of National Education has also conducted large-scale distributions of school materials to reduce household expenses at the start of the school year. In addition, the Carte d’égalité des chances (Equal Opportunity Card) provides education-related support to learners with disabilities.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
National Family Safety Scholarship Programme (PNBSF)
Launched In 2013, the Programme National de Bourses de Sécurité Familiale (PNBSF), is Senegal’s flagship social safety net, implemented by the Délégation générale à la Protection sociale et à la Solidarité nationale (DGPSN). It aimed to reduce poverty and vulnerability while promoting human capital outcomes, access to social transfers, and strengthening the country’s educational, productive, and technical capacities. The programme supports the National Unique Registry, which combines geographical targeting with a community-driven approach to identify the poorest households. Its goal is to provide 250,000 vulnerable families with Family Security Bursaries of XOF 100,000 per year (approximately US $182). The programme’s education linkage rests on accompanying measures and behavioural “soft conditionalities”, which encourage school enrolment and regular attendance without systematic, automatic sanctions based on verified attendance. Payment to beneficiaries is conditional on children’s school attendance, with mechanisms in place to ensure compliance and verify attendance.
5. School meal programmes
State-Funded School Feeding Programme
The State-Funded School Feeding Programme (Programme d’alimentation scolaire financé par l’État) launched in 2014, is coordinated by the Directorate of School Canteens (DCaS) within the Ministry of National Education, in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP). School canteens are largely managed at the community level, with strong involvement of parents’ associations. According to the Global Survey of School Meal Programmes, the programme applies geographic and other forms of targeting using a vulnerability index, school access indicators, measures of school performance, and nutritional indicators to prioritise support.
Local authorities also play a crucial role. Since 2023, the National School Canteens Programme (NSCP) under the PAQUET programme (see education resources to schools) was launched to cover 65% of public elementary schools by 2028.
This profile was reviewed by Yérim Codé Mbodji, Phd and by Abdourahmane Ba, Senior Expert in Evidence, Management, and Development Strategy.
