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 three. Free pre-primary education is not granted in legal frameworks. Compulsory pre-primary education is not granted in legal frameworks. The net enrolment rate for pre-primary for both sexes was 78.06 in 2023.
Governance
The Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation has primary responsibility for financing pre-primary education. Approximately 80 per cent of expenditure for public preschool institutions is covered through direct allocations from the national Budget of Montenegro. These centrally allocated funds are implemented at the local level by municipalities and educational institutions, which may also supplement them with municipal resources.
Tuition-free status
Free pre-primary education is not granted in legal frameworks.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
Funding for pre-primary education in Montenegro is largely centralized, with public resources allocated directly to institutions through the Ministry of Education, Science, and Innovation and the Ministry of Finance, as determined by the state budget.
2. Education resources to institutions
Public preschool institutions are financed predominantly from the state budget in accordance with the General Law on Education. The state budget covers around 80 percent of total pre-primary education costs, with the remaining share coming from parental fees that are regulated by the Rulebook on Determining the Cost of Feeding Children Paid by Parents In A Public Preschool Institution. State funds are transferred from the central government to providers as direct budget allocations. Private preschools may also receive government funding when they implement publicly approved programs, subject to conditions outlined in the General Law on Education, and through administrative contracts with the Ministry of Education, Science, and Innovation.
3. Education resources to students and families
No information was found on programmes funded by the Ministry of Education to provide direct financial support to families’ access to pre-primary education. Equity is pursued through targeted reductions in these fees: parents who receive family financial support, children without parental care and children from the most vulnerable groups have their preschool costs fully covered by Centres for Social Work, as outlined in the following section of this profile.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
Support for families with pre-school children combines both subsidised early education and direct financial assistance. Parents whose children attend public preschools pay a fixed monthly contribution, around 50 euros for full-day and 25 euros for half-day programmes, while children whose parents receive family financial support or who belong to the most vulnerable categories have part or all of these fees covered by Centres for Social Work or pay only half of the standard amount. Single parents also pay only 50 percent of costs.
In addition, families may benefit from the Child Allowance, a nationally administered cash benefit established under the Law on Social and Child Protection to reduce child poverty and support families with children. The programme was originally introduced in 2006 to support children in low-income households with disabilities. Reforms adopted in May 2021 expanded the allowance to a quasi-universal benefit for all children under the age of six. In December 2021, an amendment was adopted to extend coverage to all children up to the age of 18 from the end of 2022.
