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 Angola’s basic education sector, the Ministry of Education (MINED) is responsible for overall policy, curriculum, and national programmes (such as textbooks and school feeding), while provincial governments manage and finance primary and secondary schools, including teacher salaries and operating costs. Provinces account for around 55–80% of total public education spending, funded mainly through financial quotas (quotas financeiras). They are monthly spending ceilings released by the Ministry of Finance from the Single Treasury Account (CUT), based on quarterly revenue forecasts and budget priorities. These transfers, defined in Presidential Decree No. 40/18 (2018) and reaffirmed in subsequent budget execution rules like Decree No. 59/21 (2021), are ad hoc and not based on transparent equity or needs-based formulas. They also manage secondary schools, teacher training colleges, and technical institutes. Provincial Education Offices support the Provincial Governor by implementing education policies, programmes, and actions at the provincial level.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
For basic education, the central government provides general transfers (financial quotas) to provinces, but provinces are responsible for financing and managing teacher salaries, school operations, and service delivery. No financial mechanism transferring funds from the central government to local governments with equity considerations has been found.
2. Education resources to schools
Projecto de Aprendizagem para Todos (PAT I) (Learning for All Project) (PAT I)
The Projecto de Aprendizagem para Todos (PAT I), launched in 2014 by Angola’s Ministry of Education with World Bank support, aimed to enhance teacher skills, improve school management in targeted areas, and create a systematic student assessment framework. It included teacher training, educational materials, and digital tools for planning, with a focus on gender equity, supporting vulnerable groups, and using technology to improve education quality. The project also emphasised stakeholder engagement and feedback mechanisms to ensure ongoing improvement, setting the stage for future education reforms in Angola. The original PAT I has since evolved into its second phase, PAT II, which is scheduled to end in 2025.
The Projecto de Empoderamento de Raparigas e Aprendizagem para Todos (PAT II), launched in 2022, has three main components: empowering Angolan girls, reducing learning poverty, and project management, monitoring, and evaluation. It includes actions related to school infrastructure, school health, learning national languages, scholarships for secondary education, youth and adult education (15+ years), learning assessment, and teaching quality. Health services and information reach 930 schools across 68 selected municipalities. The Ministry of Education is responsible for implementing the project over five years (2020–2025).
3. Education resources to students and families
Ação Social Escolar (School Social Action)
Presidential Decree 37/21 establishes the National Policy of Social Action, which includes School Social Action aimed at ensuring access and participation in education for vulnerable or poor groups. Executive Decree 131/06 regulates the National Directorate for School Social under the Ministry of Education, responsible for defining national school social action policies. These policies cover scholarships, boarding schools, school health and nutrition, libraries, extracurricular activities, sports, and school meals. Support from School Social Action can be general—available to all students, such as food aid, transport, and housing—or targeted specifically to students from low socio-economic backgrounds, including books, school materials, and direct financial aid.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
Abono de familia (Family allowance)
According to Presidential Decree 8/11, the family allowance is a cash transfer designed to help cover the rising costs of raising children. It is available to children of workers and pensioners aged 3 to 14. The allowance follows the principle of positive differentiation, meaning those with lower salaries receive higher benefits. This is applied based on salary levels compared to the national minimum wage. To receive the allowance, children must be enrolled in school and progressing each year. Families can receive the allowance for up to five children. The National Institute of Social Security (INSS), under the Ministry of Public Administration, Work and Social Security, manages the programme.
5. School meal programmes
Programa Nacional de Merenda Escola (National School Lunch Programme)
The National School Lunch Programme has been in place since 1990 and is regulated by Presidential Law 138/13. The Ministry of Education is responsible for setting policies, strategies, and regulations for the programme, which must follow key principles: equality, respect for children’s biological and age differences, special care for students needing food, and prioritizing locally produced food.
In the 2022/2023 school year, the government spent AOA 11,028,598,422.98 on the programme, accounting for 0.09% of total public spending. That year, 1,734,018 primary school students—about 11% of all students—received meals.
This profile has been reviewed by Dr. Belmiro Gil Cabrito at Universidade de Lisboa.
