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 Tunisia, the official entry age for pre-primary education is 3 years old. While information on the number of years of free and compulsory pre-primary education is not available, between 2000 and 2002, the net enrolment rate for pre-primary education constantly increased, starting at 15.42 % and rising slightly to around 19.75 %
Governance
According to Education Orientation Law No. 80-2002, pre-primary education in Tunisia is provided to children aged 3 to 6 in specialised institutions and spaces designed for early childhood development. The final year of this cycle, serving children aged 5 to 6, constitutes a preparatory year intended to prepare children for entry into primary education.
The Ministry of Education is responsible for the education-sector component of pre-primary education, primarily through preparatory classes (année préparatoire) attached to public primary schools, which typically enrol 5-year-old children. These preparatory classes form part of the formal education system. Their financing is provided through the state education budget, which covers teacher salaries, operating expenditures, and investments in infrastructure and dedicated preparatory spaces and equipment funded from state resources and external partners within the annual education appropriation approved by Parliament, as specified in the Annual Performance Project by the ministry.
Responsibility for early childhood care and education (ages 0-4) falls under the Ministry of Family, Women, Children and the Elderly, which oversees public kindergartens directly administered by the ministry and private/associative providers. The ministry regulates and licenses private and associative early childhood providers through regional commissions. Financing responsibilities include operational subsidies for public kindergartens and on providing training and inspection for private early childhood centres.
In parallel, Kouttabs cater to children aged 3 to 5 and provide early learning focused on Qur’anic education alongside basic literacy and numeracy skills. These institutions operate under the supervision of the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
Tuition-free status
Pre-primary education is not guaranteed to be tuition-free under national frameworks. Although the preparatory year is legally defined as part of basic education, it is exempt from the compulsory and fully state-funded provisions that apply to basic education under Articles 4(1) and 20(1) of the Education Orientation Law.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
Preparatory class
The one‑year preparation for 5‑year‑olds is integrated into public primary schools and financed as part of the Ministry of Education’s basic education budget. The Ministry of Education allocates funds to regional directorates, which prepare and manage their own budgets and oversee the financial resources of schools in their jurisdiction, including operating expenditures such as running costs and maintenance. However, no evidence was found of a formal allocation formula or of clearly articulated qualitative criteria guiding how resources are distributed across regions.
Early childhood care and education
Operating, equipment, and small-scale facility improvement costs for public childcare and child institutions are in principle, financed at the central level through the Programme Enfance budget of the Ministry of Family, Women, Children and Seniors, and are subsequently channelled to institutions via subnational budgetary and administrative structures.
Personnel costs, general operating expenditures related to management and day-to-day functioning, as well as equipment and small-scale investment expenditures, are all covered under Programme Enfance budget credits.
While there is no evidence of a formula that explicitly represents equity components, allocation and prioritisation logic is conveyed narratively. This is structured around the prioritisation of protection and social integration of children in vulnerable or crises, including children at risk and those placed outside the family environment, and related performance indicators such as foster care and family reintegration. It also incorporates emergency or exceptional measures, such as special support programmes for kindergartens and crèches and the reallocation of budget credits across programmes, as well as considerations related to regional implementation progress and execution capacity for specific types of facilities or programmes, and the financial situation of institutions.
2. Education resources to institutions
Education Inclusion for Children with Disabilities Programme
Tunisian schools receive funding for inclusion through a blend of national government budgets, coordinated ministerial planning, complemented by international aid (especially from the EU, EIB, and UN agencies), and targeted NGO support. The country began promoting inclusive education in 2003–2004 with the launch of the National Programme for the Integration of Children with Disabilities. Law No. 2005-83 guaranteed the right to education for persons with disabilities and called on public authorities to provide appropriate arrangements for their inclusion in mainstream education. In 2012, a European-funded project led by FIIAPP supported access to education as part of broader socio-economic integration. In July 2019, the Ministry of Education introduced tailored preparatory classes in primary schools for children with special needs aged 5 to 8. Schools also benefit from this funding through infrastructure upgrades to ensure accessibility, specialised training for staff, learning materials and adaptive equipment.
Autism Inclusion Programme in Early Childhood Education
Overseen by the Ministry of Family, Women, Children and the Elderly, the programme is to promote the enrolment and inclusion of children with autism spectrum disorder in public and private kindergartens. The programme adopts a per-capita funding mechanism whereby participating public and private kindergartens receive TND 200 per month for each enrolled child with autism. This amount is explicitly divided into TND 100 to cover kindergarten enrolment and educational fees and TND 100 to finance specialised support services, such as speech therapy, occupational therapy and psychological support.
3. Education resources to students and families
No evidence was found of financial support mechanisms for pre-primary education administered by the ministry in charge of pre-primary education. However, in public primary schools where the one-year preparatory class is formally integrated into basic education, pupils in the preparatory year are, in principle, entitled to the same school-based services, such as school canteens, boarding facilities, and school grants, as other primary pupils.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
Social Promotion Programmes primarily support poor, low-income, and disabled individuals, as well as those at risk or lacking family support, with eligibility largely based on affiliation with the AMEN social security system. These programmes aim to improve educational access and retention for vulnerable groups through targeted financial assistance.
Granting of Back-to-School and University Assistance provides financial and material support to students from poor and low-income families registered under the Amen Social social protection programme. The assistance is intended to ease the financial burden of the school and university return period by offering annual along with in-kind support such as textbooks, schoolbags and supplies in coordination with regional social solidarity committees and partners like the National Pedagogical Center and Tunisian Customs. The aid is disbursed once a year prior to the start of the academic year to eligible pupils and students to help cover education-related expenses.
Grants to Children of Needy Families Benefiting from Cash Transfers targets children from poor and vulnerable households that already benefit from regular cash transfer schemes under the national social assistance system. The grants provide additional financial support to help families cover education-related expenses for school-age children, with the level of support being higher for children with disabilities. They are intended to complement existing cash transfers rather than operate as a standalone education programme. Eligibility is linked to household enrolment in social assistance programmes, and the support is designed to mitigate financial barriers to school attendance by easing the cost burden faced by low-income families.
Grants to Children of Needy Families under the Age of 6 Years Old target children under the age of six from poor and vulnerable households registered in the national social assistance system. It provides a regular cash grant to support families in meeting the basic needs of young children during early childhood, including care and early development-related expenses. Eligibility is linked to household poverty status. The family must be a beneficiary of the national cash transfer programme or hold a free or reduced-rate healthcare card, and must not be affiliated with any contributory social security scheme.
Grants under the School Social Action Programme support students from poor and low-income families facing serious financial or health difficulties. The assistance covers school supplies, transport subscriptions, essential needs like food and clothing, medications for chronic illnesses, medical treatments, and contributions toward assistive equipment, including integration devices and batteries for prosthetic aids.
