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 is 3. In 2024, 3 years of free pre-primary education were granted in legal frameworks. Compulsory pre-primary education is not granted in legal frameworks. The net enrolment rate for pre-primary for both sexes was 74.43 in 2024.
Governance
Tuvalu has 18 Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) centres, managed and operated by communities, Kaupule (island councils), faith-based organizations, or private providers. ECCE centres are not part of the formal education system, but are regulated under the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development’s (MEHRD) 2007 Early Childhood Care and Education Policy and receive professional and administrative support from MEHRD’s Education Department. Each ECCE centre has a School Management Committee that works closely with the Education Department.
Financing for pre-primary education in Tuvalu is shared by the operators (communities, Kaupule, faith-based organizations, or private providers) and MEHRD. The government provides financial support for teacher salaries, infrastructure, teaching and learning resources, and ongoing professional development for ECCE centres. The Education Department, under the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MEHRD), also provides policy guidance and oversight for ECCE.
ECCE has also received significant financial support through donor-financed projectes, including the 2020-2025 Tuvalu Learning Project (TuLeP), a World Bank–financed programme implemented by MEHRD and the Ministry of Finance to strengthen early learning and community engagement.
Tuition-free status
Three years of free pre-primary education were granted in legal frameworks.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
Tuvalu does not have subnational governments with separate fiscal responsibilities. Education financing is managed and allocated by central authorities.
2. Education resources to institutions
The government provides annual grants and salary support for all ECCE centres. These grants cover teachers’ salaries, infrastructure, teaching resources and professional support and are allocated on based on need.
3. Education resources to students and families
No information was found on MEHRD-financed financial mechanisms to support students' and families' access to ECCE. MEHRD’s financial support for ECCE is primarily channelled through limited grants and salary assistance to centres to help cover teacher salaries and basic inputs rather than to offset fees for specific population groups. While there are no formal subsidies to households, the 2020-2025 Tuvalu Learning Project (TuLeP), financed by the World Bank and implemented by MEHRD, has played an important role in supporting families’ access to ECCE. TuLeP channels external grant financing to MEHRD to provide learning materials, books and classroom equipment to ECCE centres, reducing the need for parents to purchase these items themselves.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
No information was found on social protection or sectoral programmes financed by ministries other than education that are explicitly designed to expand access to ECCE centres. From 2020-2025, through the World Bank-financed Tuvalu Learning Project (TuLeP), MEHRD collaborated with the Ministry of Health, Social Welfare and Gender Affairs to support project components related to child wellbeing, nutrition, child protection, the inclusion of students with disabilities, and gender-based inclusion.
