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 2024, the official entrance age to pre-primary education was 3 years old. There is no information regarding the number of years of free pre-primary education granted in legal frameworks, the number of years of compulsory pre-primary education granted in legal frameworks, or the net enrolment rate for pre-primary for both sexes.
Governance
The pre-primary education system is supervised by the Ministry of Education, through the Directorate of pre-school education, which is mandated to “assure the design, execution and coordination of the policies concerning higher education and science.”
Tuition-free status
Article 8 of the General Education Law (2018) mandates that pre-primary education is free and compulsory starting from the age of 4.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
Law No. 03/2022 (Framework Law on Preschool Education) states that the Government must establish, through specific regulations, the conditions for participation by regional authorities and local governments. However, no regulations have been identified to date.
2. Education resources to institutions
Law No. 03/2022 stipulates in Article 14 that where establishments are absent or infeasible due to a lack of human resources or social and economic constraints, mixed establishments may exist. Furthermore, Article 15 stipulates that the State must establish partnerships with civil society entities to create preschool education establishments, ensuring universal access for all children up to the age of five.
Article 35 states that support for the expansion and development of the National Preschool Education Network includes educational, financial, and social support components for disadvantaged families. The priority criteria for expanding the public preschool education network are geographical areas with low preschool enrolment rates, high school failure and dropout rates, a higher proportion of active female population and single-parent families, and areas most in need of social and cultural facilities.
Article 39 stipulates that educational establishments must provide basic conditions for access, monitoring, and pedagogical and social support in a differentiated manner.
3. Education resources to students and families
According to Law No. 03/2022 (Art. 20), it is the competent services of the Ministries of Social Security and Justice that monitor children and families at social risk and develop preventive programmes for social issues, in coordination with the establishment's management.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
According to Law No. 03/2022 (Art. 38), children enrolled in preschool establishments benefit from the school's social action, including supplementary food support and direct financial assistance for educational materials.
Additionally, the Programa Familia (Family Programme), established in 2019, is a targeted social protection initiative designed to support households living in poverty and extreme poverty across the country through conditional cash transfers. The programme’s primary objectives are to reduce extreme household poverty and to promote educational access by making financial transfers contingent upon children’s regular school attendance. Ministered by the Directorate of Social Protection, Solidarity and Family (DPSSF) under the Ministry of Labour and Solidarity, this policy reflects a focused approach to social assistance that prioritises vulnerable populations in poor geographic areas to improve both economic and educational outcomes.
