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 in Guinea is four years old. The net enrolment rate for pre-primary for both sexes was last measured in 2020 at 10.66%. Pre-pandemic enrolment was at 17.23% in 2016.
Preschool is for children aged 3-5 and lasts for three years, with plans to reduce the duration to two years to accommodate a greater number of children.
Governance
Pre-primary education in Guinea is managed by the Ministry of National Education and Alphabetisation (MENA). These include nurseries, preschools, and community-based education centres (CECs). Governance is further decentralised into three levels: the region, prefecture or municipality, and the communal level. Funding from the central government is allocated to the regional education inspectorates, which then distribute funds to the prefectural and communal education directorates.
Tuition-free status
Public pre-primary education in Guinea is not tuition-free according to national laws and policies, which designate it as optional (ages 3-6) under the National Policy on Preprimary Education and Child Protection (PPECP) and recent 2025 frameworks without fee abolition provisions.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
The funding for pre-primary education follows the same mechanisms for compulsory education. General funds are transferred from the central level down to regional, prefectural, and communal levels before reaching individual schools. According to the World Bank (2021), over 80% of Guinea’s education budget is allocated to decentralised spending.
The Special Allocation Budget (BAS) was adopted as the financing modality for the Common Fund for Basic Education (FCE), with procedures defined and validated. The procedural document could not be found.
2. Education resources to institutions
As of 2019, Guinea has only two public preschools, both of which are based in Conakry, the capital city. The sector is primarily comprised of private schools (86%) and community-based schools (13%).
Ordinance No. 0300/PRG/84 of 27 October 1984 (Art. 5) stipulates that private pre-school educational institutions recognised by the State may receive subsidies. The costs incurred for the management of the private institutions managed are taken into account in the evaluation of the grants.
The government’s ten-year plan prioritises the development of preschool programmes. The plan calls for the establishment of pre-primary classes in rural public schools and encourages the development of community-based preschools. Community schools are led by the community with financial support from an NGO or a donor. They are non-profit and usually provide education to children who are often disadvantaged and excluded from the formal school system. In some countries, they have legal status, and the government supports them to fill gaps in the public system.
3. Education resources to students and families
The annual cost borne by parents amounts on average to a little over GNF 430,000 per student. No financial support mechanisms for pre-primary education were found.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
Productive Social Safety Nets Project/Conditional Cash Transfer to Protect Human Capital
In partnership with the World Bank, the government implemented the Productive Social Safety Nets Project (PSSN) from 2012 to 2019. The project aimed to support vulnerable groups by providing income assistance through cash transfers and school feeding programs in rural areas. Transfers were conditional and asked that families attend accompanying measures sessions, enrol their children in school, and take their children to a medical centre for a general checkup. Children 0-24 months were targeted for a reduction of malnutrition. The programme measured the enrolment of children ages 5-15.
