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 2023, the official entrance age to pre-primary education was 3 years old.
In 2023, the number of years of free pre-primary education granted in legal frameworks and the number of years of compulsory pre-primary education granted in legal frameworks were 2 years. For 2023, the net enrolment rate for pre-primary for both sexes was 65.29%.
Governance
The SEP allocates the annual subsidy with authorization from the federal Chamber of Deputies and from the Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público. Funding flows from the central government primarily in the form of federal transfers, which SEP distributes either directly to schools or through the state governments that have administrative autonomy over basic education within their territories.
Early childhood education follows the same model as primary and lower secondary education, as it falls under initial levels.
Tuition-free status
Pre-primary education is tuition-free, according to laws and policies.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
In mexican public education, federal transfers constitute the main source of state revenues, accounting for approximately 90% of total income. These transfers present three principal forms: federal tax revenue shares (participaciones), which represent about 38% of states’ revenues; federal grants earmarked for mandated expenditures (aportaciones), amounting to roughly 40% of states’ revenues; and federal transfers for sector specific expenditure agreements (convenios), for approximately 10% of subnational revenues.
Public sector resources for education include federal funds from the Secretaría de Educación Pública (Ramo 11) and the Aportaciones Federales para Entidades Federativas y Municipios (Ramo 33). Within the Federal contribution funds, the Fondo de Aportaciones para el Fortalecimiento de las Entidades Federativas (Ramo 33) is included, providing financing for public education.
Federal contribution funds Fondo General de Participaciones (FGP) are federal transfers to states and municipalities for specific functions and projects mandated by law, sourced from the general budget Ramo 33. These transfers are 'earmarked,' meaning they are allocated for specific spending purposes based on their source (education, health, public safety, infrastructure).
This is the main mechanism through which the Federal Government transfers resources to states and municipalities. It represents 20% of the federal tax and duty revenues to be distributed among them, with the aim of compensating for their contributions to national wealth and providing financial support to subnational public finances. Its assignment is oriented to incentivize the local revenue and economic growth in each state.
The FONE, coordinated by the Secretaría de Educación Pública (SEP), provides states with complementary financial resources to carry out their responsibilities in basic education and teacher training. The funds assigned through FONE contribute to the consolidation of the National Education System (SEN), strengthening the educational systems in the states, which can use these resources to cover personnel expenditures, operational costs, compensation funds, and other current expenses.
These resources are specifically intended to support planning, training, operation, verification, monitoring, promotion, and dissemination of basic education services.
The Fondo de Aportaciones Múltiples (FAM) focused on social assistance and educational infrastructure. For educational infrastructure, the SEP is responsible for distributing FAM resources among the states. This fund is annually determined in the Presupuesto de Egresos de la Federación, amounting to 0.814% of the estimated federal revenue for each fiscal year. 46% of the resources will be allocated to school breakfasts, food assistance, and social assistance through public institutions, as per the Social Assistance Law. The remaining 54% will be dedicated to the construction, equipping, and rehabilitation of physical infrastructure for basic, upper secondary, and higher education, based on the specific needs of each level. In 2025, basic education plans to serve a potential population of 23,907,414 children and adolescents.
Additionally, the SEP also has budget programmes that transfer resources from the federal level to the treasuries or finance departments of state governments to be allocated to educational institutions.
The basic education programs include the Programa Nacional de Inglés (PRONI), which strengthens english teaching and learning in public pre-primary, primary, and lower secondary schools through international certifications, teacher training, instructional materials, and specialized educational advising; the Programa Fortalecimiento de los Servicios de Educación Especial (PFSEE), which supports school retention and the comprehensive development of students with disabilities and/or outstanding abilities, through academic interventions, specialized resources, and adapted equipment; and the Programa Expansión de la Educación Inicial (PEEI), which expands early childhood education coverage for children from birth to two years and eleven months through school-based and non-school-based modalities, promoting safe and stimulating environments, training of educational agents, facility maintenance, home visits, Centros Comunitarios de Atención a la Primera Infancia, and raising awareness of the importance of early childhood education according to the Política Nacional de Educación Inicial.
2. Education resources to institutions
As mentioned above, public sector resources for education mostly come from funds transferred from the federal government to the municipal government, which, in most cases, must first pass through the State level.
La Escuela es Nuestra (PLEEN) is a federal programme that provides direct subsidies to Comités Escolares de Administración Participativa (CEAP) to improve infrastructure and services in public education centres. The programme serves basic education institutions (early childhood, pre-primary, primary and lower secondary), Centros de Atención Múltiple (CAM), educational services provided by Consejo Nacional de Fomento Educativo (CONAFE), and upper secondary education institutions.
The programme supports infrastructure rehabilitation, expansion, and acquisition of essential equipment and materials; extension of the school day and the provision of meal services.
At the local level, implementation is carried out by CEAPs, which are composed of mothers, fathers or tutors, students, teachers, and school authorities, and are elected by the school assembly. These committees are responsible for supervising and managing the use of resources according to each school’s needs.
The selection of beneficiary schools is a prioritization process based on criteria such as location in communities with significant deficiencies in essential services, including potable water, electricity, sanitation facilities, infrastructure for students with disabilities, internet connectivity, and access to computers. Selection depends on budget availability and aims to reduce inequalities in school conditions and access to services.
3. Education resources to students and families
Beca Universal de Educación Básica “Rita Cetina”
The “Rita Cetina” scholarship, formerly the Benito Juárez Basic Education Scholarship Programme, is a priority initiative of the Mexican Government administered by SEP through the Coordinación Nacional de Becas para el Bienestar Benito Juárez. It provides support to families with children enrolled in public pre-primary, primary, and lower secondary schools, regardless of socioeconomic status. However, priority is given to families with children and adolescents attending schools classified as priority schools or schools identified for targeted support, particularly those from low-income households.
Beneficiaries are categorized as either continuing families or newly enrolled participants. The programme provides a payment of 1,900 MXN per family every two months, with an additional 700 MXN for each upper secondary student in the household.
The programme aims to promote regular school attendance and ensure the continuity of basic education. As a universal and unconditional programme, it reflects the government’s commitment to strengthening the right to education through broad social investment and simplified administrative processes that eliminate complex eligibility requirements.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
Launched in 2019, the Support Program for the Wellbeing of Children of Working Mothers aims to improve access to care and education and ensure the full exercise of social rights for children, adolescents, and young people up to 23 years of age who face vulnerability due to the absence of one or both parents.
The Programme includes two modalities: i) support for the well-being of children of working mothers; and ii) support for the well-being of children, adolescents, and young people in maternal orphanhood.
Under the first modality, the Programme provides financial support of 1,650 MXN every two months per child, increasing to 3,720 MXN for children with disabilities. Under the second modality, bimonthly financial support is provided according to age: 830 MXN for newborns up to 15 years of age; 1,130 MXN for those between 16 and 18 years of age; and 1,240 MXN for those between 19 and 23 years of age.
Additional considerations include whether the beneficiary belongs to an Indigenous community, has a disability, or is in a situation of orphanhood.
Becas de Educación Básica para el Bienestar “Benito Juárez”
The scholarship is a targeted support programme designed to assist families in highly vulnerable situations. It focuses on children enrolled in public pre-primary, primary, or lower secondary schools located in Indigenous communities, rural localities with fewer than 50 inhabitants, areas of very high marginalization, or regions affected by significant violence.
The programme provides 920 MXN per month per family. Its main objective is to prevent school dropout among children living in extreme poverty by linking direct financial support with school attendance in the most disadvantaged regions, thereby promoting equality in education and inclusive social development.
This profile has been reviewed by Verónica Hernández Tapia, Directora Académica de la Subsecretaría de Educación Básica; Alfonso Hernández Téllez, Director Planeación y Evaluación de la Subsecretaría de Educación Superior; Tania Luna, Unidad de la Nueva Escuela Mexicana and Olga Romero, Directora de Área de la Dirección General de Planeación, Programación y Estadística Educativa.
