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)
According to 2024 UIS database, the official entrance age to pre-primary education is 3 and the net enrolment rate for pre-primary for both sexes is 31.72%. No information is available regarding the number of years of free pre-primary education granted in legal frameworks and the number of years of compulsory pre-primary education granted in legal frameworks.
Governance
The ministry responsible for financing and overseeing pre-primary education is mainly the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education (MoPME) and its implementing body, the Directorate of Primary Education. Pre-primary education is treated as the first stage of primary education, so all budgeting, teacher management, materials, and administrative oversight fall under MoPME’s national budget. The Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MoWCA) plays a coordinating role for broader early childhood policies.
Tuition-free status
The government gradually introduced free one-year pre-primary education for 5-year-olds based on a PPE Expansion Plan prepared in 2011. Since 2023, free preschool education for 4-year-olds has been expanded.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
The government’s main funding mechanism for pre-primary education is integrated within the fourth Primary Education Development Program (PEDP), which is further supported by World Bank’s Quality Learning for All Program (QLEAP). The scope of the program is the whole primary education sector with one pre-primary year. The program aims to provide educational opportunities to out-of-school children, children with special needs, populations in hard-to-reach areas, indigenous people, and ethnic minorities. Funding flows primarily from the central government through the Directorate of Primary Education of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education (MoPME) to upazilas (sub-districts) and schools, with allocations managed via an incremental or line-item budget method based on previous expenditure, ensuring stability and adjustment over time.
2. Education resources to institutions
Government subsidies are allocated to public pre-primary institutions primarily through the fourth Primary Education Development Program (PEDP). These subsidies cover operational costs, teacher salaries, learning materials, and infrastructure development for government-run pre-primary classes within primary schools. Equity considerations are embedded in this funding structure, as the government targets resources to disadvantaged and underserved areas, including rural regions, ethnic minority communities, and economically poorer districts.
3. Education resources to students and families
No information was found.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
Within the 2015 National Social Security Strategy framework, the programmes (for example, the child grant) support early childhood development than access to pre-primary education.
