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)
As of 2024, the official entrance age to pre-primary education is 3 and the net enrolment rate for pre-primary for both sexes is 91.94%. No data is available regarding the number of years of compulsory pre-primary education granted in legal frameworks.
Governance
The Ministry of Education is primarily responsible for governance and oversight of early childhood, primary, and secondary education.
Tuition-free status
No data is available regarding the number of years of free pre-primary education granted in legal frameworks.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
Public funding mechanisms for pre-primary education exist primarily through government budget allocations managed by the Ministry of Education, and are mainly centralised.
2. Education resources to institutions
Government subsidies are provided to public pre-primary institutions, mainly to cover teacher salaries, learning materials, and basic operational costs under the Ministry of Education’s budget. However, there is no specific equity-targeted funding within these subsidies - support is generally uniform across schools rather than differentiated for disadvantaged groups or remote areas.
According to the 2017 Early Childhood Care and Education Act, private pre-primary institutions can be subsidised, but only if they are formally registered and meet national standards.
3. Education resources to students and families
No information has been found.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
Kiribati doesn’t have social policies that specifically aim to boost pre-primary access through targeted resource transfers. The Kiribati School and Centre for Children with Special Needs (KSCCSN) supports children with disabilities from preschool to primary level. Established in 1991 as a non-governmental institution, it initially relied on external funding and parent contributions. Over time, the Ministry of Education began collaborating with the school. Only children residing on Tarawa Island are eligible to enrol, with an average of 27 children served per year.
