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 years old in 2024. 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 Ministry of Education, Sports and Creative Industries is responsible for policy oversight and administration of pre-primary education. Within this Ministry, the Early Childhood Education Training Centre (ECETC) oversees, coordinates, and develops early childhood care and education programmes for children from birth to five years.
However, under the Finance Administration Act of 2006, the Ministry of Finance and Corporate Governance establishes the fiscal structure for allocating and executing education budgets and oversees the national budget preparation process.
Tuition-free status
Pre-primary education is not tuition free in Antigua & Barbuda.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
No main funding mechanisms for transferring funds from the central government to local governments for public and private pre-primary education have been identified. Transfers remain at a central level.
2. Education resources to institutions
The Ministry of Finance and Corporate Governance allocates funds to the Ministry of Education, Sports and Creative Industries, which is then responsible for distributing them directly to the pre-primary education centres. No equity-targeted funding has been identified.
In 2008, there was a programme for the government to provide at least four EC facilities throughout the island that will cater for those parents who cannot afford to pay for private services.
3. Education resources to students and families
No financial support mechanisms for pre-primary education have been identified.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
In 2020, the government enacted the Social Protection Act, which reformed the social assistance framework to provide support at the household level, taking into account the specific needs of family members. Under its predecessor, the Poor Relief Act 1961, there were no clear eligibility criteria to identify poor and vulnerable individuals, and decisions were made on a case-by-case basis. The Fund is a corporate body in which all funds allocated for the management of social protection programmes are vested and administered by its own Board.
The objectives of the Fund include the improvement of living conditions, the promotion of community participation, and the enhancement of social protection infrastructure related to health, education, and financial assistance, among other forms of support. Categories of assistance pertaining to education encompass school support for children enrolled in pre-primary schools or daycares, aged 0 to 5 years.
