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 Mauritius, the official entry age for pre-primary education is 3 years old. While not compulsory, two years of free pre-primary education is granted since 2024. From 2001 to 2024, the net enrolment rate for pre-primary education fluctuated from 73.68% to 78.72%.
Governance
Under the Early Childhood Care and Education Authority Act, responsibility for financing pre-primary education in Mauritius lies primarily with the Early Childhood Care and Education Authority (ECCE Authority), which functions under the Ministry of Education and Human Resources. The ECCE Authority is legally mandated to allocate, manage, and audit grants to registered pre-primary schools, carrying out these tasks through its board and finance committee. While the Authority administers payments, sets criteria and standards, and ensures financial oversight, the Minister of Education retains final directive authority and supervises overall budgetary planning. The Authority also collaborates with other ministries such as Finance, Social Security, Child Development, and Health when relevant to grant administration and sector coordination.
Tuition-free status
According to UIS data, two years of free pre-primary education is granted
1. Education resources to subnational governments
No information was found on funding mechanisms that transfer resources from the central government to local authorities with consideration for equity.
2. Education resources to institutions
While there is no evidence of a scheme that includes explicit equity targeted formulas, government subsidies are provided to both public and private registered preprimary institutions through a centrally administered Grant in Aid Scheme managed by the Ministry of Education and Human Resources. Funding covers the full range of recurrent costs, including staff salaries and operational expenses, with allocations determined by enrolment bands that define staffing entitlements and annual operational grants for each school. Payments for staff are transferred directly to individual bank accounts, while operational funds are disbursed quarterly to schools, and additional non recurrent grants may be provided for approved infrastructure and improvement projects.
The Zones d’Éducation Prioritaire (ZEP) programme
The Zones d’Éducation Prioritaire (ZEP) programme is a targeted initiative for children in disadvantaged areas which started in July 2003. ZEP schools are schools that have recorded a pass rate below 40% in the end of primary cycle examination over the previous three years. This has been the sole criterion for selecting schools under the ZEP category, based on the assumption of a strong direct link between pupils’ academic performance and the socio-economic challenges faced by their families. ZEP schools receive additional financial resources, social welfare support, and staff incentives compared to regular schools. Teachers assigned to the pre-primary sections of ZEP schools receive a monthly allowance in recognition of the additional effort required to support learners in these priority areas.
3. Education resources to students and families
The School Materials Scheme provides items such as bags, uniforms, shoes, copybooks and stationery to children aged between 3 and 23 years as an incentive to attend school. The programme targets students from households registered in the Social Register (database of all potential beneficiaries of social programmes) of Mauritius, with the amount of support varying according to the education level. The scheme has been supporting needy children with school materials since at least the 2015 academic year.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
Based on the Marshall Plan Social Contract and its associated empowerment schemes, the Ministry of Social Integration, Social Security and National Solidarity implements a wide range of programmes that support children’s education by providing household subsistence assistance.
Crèche Scheme
The Crèche Scheme provides a childcare allowance for children aged three months to three years as an incentive for families to enrol them in registered day care centres and to support unemployed mothers in entering the labour market or undertaking training. Implemented since February 2017, the programme pays up to Rs 3,000 per child directly to registered day care centres, conditional on the child attending at least 75 per cent of scheduled days.
School Materials Scheme
The School Materials Scheme supplies essential school items, including uniforms, shoes, bags, copybooks and stationery, to children aged three to twenty-three from eligible households. The programme aims to reduce financial barriers and encourage consistent attendance in registered pre primary, primary, secondary and pre vocational institutions by providing these materials at the start of each academic year.
CSG Allowances
CSG allowances namely, the CSG Child Allowance and CSG School Allowance are administered by the Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA) under the oversight of the Ministry of Social Integration, Social Security and National Solidarity.
- CSG Child Allowance Scheme
A monthly CSG Child Allowance of Rs 2,000 for children up to 3 years was introduced in the Budget 2023/2024. As announced in the Budget 2024/2025, the Child Allowance was increased to Rs 2,500 per child per month. Under the Budget 2025/2026, this allowance will be gradually phased out over two years, except for children from households listed in the Social Register of Mauritius.
- CSG School Allowance
Administered by the MRA, the scheme provides financial support to families with children aged three to ten to ease schooling-related costs. First introduced in the Budget 2024/2025, the scheme was extended to 2027 to be gradually phased out except for a member of a household who is a beneficiary under the Social Register of Mauritius.
This profile was reviewed by Dr. Nazia Abdoula-Dhuny, Individual contributor.
