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 Burkina Faso, the official entry age for pre-primary education is 3 years old. One year of free and compulsory pre-primary education was granted, as of 2009, while the net enrolment rate for pre-primary education slightly increased from 2.02% in 2009 to 7.54% in 2024.
Governance
The Ministry of National Education, Literacy and the Promotion of National Languages (MENAPLN) is the authority responsible for education from pre-primary through secondary level in Burkina Faso. Within MENAPLN, dedicated directorates for early childhood and pre-primary education oversee the implementation of early education policies.
Based on the Tableau de bord prepared by MENAPLN’s Directorate General of Studies and Sectoral Statistics (DGESS), pre-primary education is managed as a sub-sector under MENAPLN, with monitoring covering public, private, and community-based structures, classrooms, and numbers of children and teachers. The same framework confirms that pre-primary education is included within the MENAPLN budget. The MENAPLN also covers expenditures for the recruitment and deployment of teachers and the provision of pedagogical materials.
Tuition-free status
Public pre-primary education in Burkina Faso is not tuition-free according to national laws and policies. The Education Framework Act (Loi n°013-2007/AN) covers basic education but does not mandate free pre-primary specifically.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
The Ministry of Education transfers resources to local governments (collectivités territoriales) for school operations, non-formal education centres (CEBNF), primary school canteen food supplies, and school infrastructure projects. Funds are reallocated from the Ministry to the communes under interministerial order N°2021-047/MINEFID/MATDC/MENAPLN, which defines resource distribution based on transferred education responsibilities. However, no information was found on funding mechanisms that consider equity when transferring funds from central to local governments.
2. Education resources to institutions
Equity-oriented pre-primary provision
Within the Programme sectoriel de l’éducation et de la formation 2017-2030, the government plans to allocate public investment explicitly toward expanding provision in underserved areas. The strategy prioritises public pre-primary institutions and structures attached to public primary schools, through the establishment of pre-primary classes within Integrated Basic Education Complexes, to extend access to rural areas, underserved zones, and regions such as the Sahel. Planned investments focus on the construction of classrooms, the deployment of teachers, and the gradual expansion of free public provision, with priority given to children from the poorest households and geographically disadvantaged communities. Through this approach, government resources for pre-primary education are channelled primarily to public and community-based structures as a means of reducing territorial and socioeconomic disparities in access.
The PSEF also links public support for pre-primary education to an inclusive education framework that explicitly includes children with disabilities from the early childhood stage. Public investment in pre-primary institutions is intended to support physical accessibility of school and preschool infrastructure, the provision of adapted learning materials and assistive devices, and capacity building for teachers and education personnel in inclusive practices. These measures are designed to enable the integration of children with disabilities within ordinary public education settings, while ensuring coordination with health and social services for early identification and follow up.
3. Education resources to students and families
No ministry-led programmes providing financial support to students or families to improve access to pre-primary education have been identified, although programmes implemented in collaboration between the Ministry of Social Action and non-governmental organisations do exist, as illustrated by the example described below.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
No ministry-led programmes providing financial support to students or families to improve access to pre-primary education have been identified, although programmes implemented in collaboration between the Ministry of Social Action and non-governmental organisations do exist, as illustrated by the example described below.
Scolarisation of orphans and vulnerable children
Since 2015, the non-governmental foundation Agir pour les Enfants has implemented a programme to expand access to pre-primary education for orphans and vulnerable children aged 3 to 6 years in Ouagadougou, particularly in underserved and informal areas. The programme facilitates the enrolment of eligible children in public pre-primary centres, with beneficiary identification carried out in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Action and National Solidarity. Beneficiaries include orphans, children without parental care, children affected by HIV, children with chronic illnesses, and children from households experiencing severe economic hardship, in line with national definitions of vulnerability. The programme covers school fees and daily meals for enrolled children and provides a basic care package that includes nutritional support and health follow-up, thereby reducing financial barriers to participation in public pre-primary education. While social services play a role in identifying eligible children, the financial costs of enrolment and support are borne by the foundation and its partners.
This profile was reviewed by Ramaele Moshoeshoe, Executive Director of the Africa Fellows in Education Program (AFEP), Global Education Analytics Institute.
