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 Kyrgyzstan, the official entry age for pre-primary education is three years old, with four years of free pre-primary education and one year of compulsory education established by law. Between 2000 and 2025, the net enrolment rate for pre-primary education steadily increased, rising from 6.80% to 42.96% .
Governance
The Ministry of Enlightenment (MoE) is the main government body responsible for financing and overseeing pre-primary education. The MoE manages national education policies, sets curriculum and quality standards, and allocates funds for salaries and social insurance of pre-primary staff through the state budget. Meanwhile, local self-government bodies (ayil okmotu and municipal authorities) remain responsible for financing capital expenditures, such as building maintenance, furniture, and teaching materials, using intergovernmental transfers from the state. Kyrgyzstan maintains a dual financing structure for pre-primary education. For instance, in 2018, the central ministry managed about 53 percent of total education spending, while local governments covered the remaining 47 percent.
Tuition-free status
According to UIS data, national law guarantees four years of free pre-primary education.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
The main mechanism promoting equity in Kyrgyzstan’s intergovernmental finance system is is the equalisation transfer, an unconditional and formula-based grant from the republican budget that aims to bridge the gap between a locality’s revenue capacity and its expenditure needs. According to in Cabinet Resolution No. 315, these transfers prioritize funding for “protected items,” such as school utilities, fuel, and other essential operating costs that fall outside the per-capita financing norm. However, there is no evidence of a specific equity-based formula used to allocate education resources to subnational governments.
2. Education resources to institutions
The Kyrgyz government operates 14 specialised kindergartens for children with disabilities. These kindergartens serve approximately 2,359 children and are organized by type of impairment, such as speech, intellectual, visual, hearing, or musculoskeletal disorders. Each kindergarten maintains small class sizes and is staffed with special education teachers, therapists, and rehabilitation specialists, providing individualized programs that combine education, therapy, and assistive technologies tailored to each child’s needs. The kindergartens are publicly funded and managed by the government, demonstrating direct state responsibility for their operation.
The government of Kyrgyzstan is implementing Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects in the education sector as a joint financing mechanism that combines public and private resources to expand and improve educational infrastructure and services. As part of this broader initiative, several pre-school education projects have been launched. For instance, in Bishkek, a bundled PPP concept was proposed combining both construction and operation of multiple kindergartens to address capacity shortages in urban and peri-urban areas. In addition, the PPP Center under the Cabinet of Ministers has formally supported the design of PPP projects for the production of preschool furniture and learning materials.
These initiatives explicitly identify improving access to preschool education for children in remote and mountainous areas, low-income families, and children with disabilities as a core policy objective.
3. Education resources to students and families
A voucher-based funding mechanism for pre-primary is the targeted financial support mechanism within the education sector that aims to expand access to preschool services for children from low-income families, children with disabilities, and those living in remote rural areas. Under this pilot, a total of 1,000 vouchers were allocated to support children’s enrolment in preschool institutions. The voucher amount varies depending on the child’s circumstances, providing higher levels of support for low-income families, children with disabilities, and those living in remote or disadvantaged regions.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
The personal assistant programme, led by the Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Migration (MLSSM), supports children with severe disabilities by providing paid assistant to help them attend kindergartens and other educational settings. Under this scheme, family members or other approved individuals can be formally employed to provide daily care, accompany children to kindergartens or schools, and support their participation in educational and social activities. The programme specifically targets children with severe disabilities and adults classified under Disability Group I, offering monthly payments financed by the state budget.
