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 Madagascar, the official entry age for pre-primary education is 3 years old, with three years of free pre-primary education established by law. Between 2000 and 2024, the net enrolment rate for pre-primary education increased from 2.6% to 37.4% by 2024.
Governance
The Ministry of National Education (Ministère de l’Éducation nationale, MEN) is the main government body responsible for allocating, overseeing, and managing the education budget, including pre-primary education. It launched the establishment of preschool classes within Public Primary Schools across the island starting from the 2010–2011 school year.
The 2013–2015 Interim Education Plan emphasised the expansion of community-based early learning centres, aiming to reduce the financial burden on families in underserved areas. Continuing this trajectory, the 2018–2022 Sectoral Education Plan set a target of achieving a 35% enrolment rate of five-year-olds in public institutions, with a particular focus on reaching children in remote communities. In 2022, Madagascar adopted Law No. 2022–018, mandating one year of compulsory pre-primary education, signalling a policy commitment to publicly funded early childhood education.
Tuition-free status
Madagascar adopted a law in 2022 providing one year of free and compulsory pre-primary education.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
The Ministry of National Education (MEN) operates through a decentralised structure to ensure effective governance and service delivery across the country. At the regional level, it is represented by 22 Regional Directorates (DRENs), while at the district level, oversight is managed through 114 School Districts (CISCOs), further subdivided into 303 Subdistricts (ZAPs). Budgetary allocations are channelled to the DRENs in the form of subsidies, with each DREN tasked with overseeing the disbursement of funds to the CISCOs within its jurisdiction. There is no information available about a funding system from the central government to local governments that takes fairness or equity into account.
2. Education resources to institutions
Public pre-primary institutions receive government subsidies. However, there is no comprehensive operational mechanism for redistributing funds to pre-primary institutions specifically to support equity for vulnerable groups. Most funding is channelled through general education budgets or targeted international projects, which are often limited to specific regions or pilot areas. Major international grants, such as the Basic Education Support Project funded by the World Bank and Global Partnership for Education, specifically include support for early learning centres (pre-primary). These funds are channelled through government structures and are intended to strengthen infrastructure, teacher training, and school readiness materials. Private pre-primary institutions are primarily responsible for their own funding and operations.
The 2018–2022 Sectoral Education Plan explicitly targets vulnerable populations and seeks to close gaps in access and retention, especially for poor and rural students. However, the ESP does not provide specific budgetary details for pre-primary education or outline clear, operational funding mechanisms for equity at this level. National policies mention gender parity as a goal, but there is no evidence of specific funding streams for gender equity at the pre-primary level.
3. Education resources to students and families
There is no specific evidence in the provided sources of direct grants or vouchers for parents of pre-primary children.
Initiatives like the IEPPE project by Action Education, co-financed by the Agence Française de Développement, work to improve access to pre-primary education in specific regions by supporting families with awareness and engagement activities. While this project supports parents, it does not involve cash grants or vouchers or government funding.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
The main conditional cash transfer programme, known as the Human Development Cash Transfer (TMDH), targets households with children aged 0 to 12. Coordinated by Madagascar's Ministry of Population, the programme targets over 44,000 vulnerable households with children, offering conditional cash transfers to improve child nutrition (ages 0–5). Funded by the World Bank and UNICEF from 2016 to 2021 with over $25 million, it operates in eight districts across five regions (geographic targeting). Implemented by FID and ONN, it combines financial support with behavioural change initiatives, family empowerment, and community-based governance mechanisms to strengthen household resilience.
