Financing for equity in primary and secondary education
1. Education resources to subnational governments
2. Education resources to schools
3. Education resources to students and families
4. Social policies and family support programmes
Introduction
In Tuvalu, the Ministry of Education and Human Resources (MEHRD), formerly the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS), is the central authority responsible for setting education policy and overseeing the delivery of education across all levels, from early childhood care and education through primary, secondary, post-secondary, and pre-tertiary institutions. Within MEHRD, the School Supervisory Unit monitors and supports the functioning of both government and non-government schools, ensuring compliance with national standards. Public schools operate in close collaboration with the Kaupule, the traditional island councils, which play a key role in community engagement and school management.
Education financing in Tuvalu is highly centralised. The national government provides direct budget allocations to schools through the national budget, covering operational costs, teacher salaries, and essential resources. Under the 2009 National Education Policy, these allocations ensure tuition-free access to primary and lower secondary education, supply students with books and stationery, subsidise early childhood education, and fund scholarships for tertiary study.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
Tuvalu does not have subnational governments with separate fiscal responsibilities. Education financing is entirely managed and allocated by central authorities.
2. Education resources to schools
Funds are administered to schools through direct budget allocations from the government through the national budget in accordance with Article 2 the 2009 National Education Policy. This covers recurrent and capital funding.
No information was found on MEHRD-funded initiatives to provide resources to disadvantaged schools or schools that accommodate target groups.
3. Education resources to students and families
No information was found on MEHRD-funded initiatives to provide resources to disadvantaged students or families for basic education. MEHRD does allocate a significant portion of the budget to the provision of scholarships to disadvantaged students to pursue tertiary education.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
No information was found on government-funded initiatives to provide resources to disadvantaged schools or schools that accommodate target groups. A 2024 UNICEF Factsheet on the situation of children in Tuvalu states that social protection coverage for children is “essentially absent revealing the weakness in social protection for the most vulnerable”.
5. School meal programmes
The government of Tuvalu does not fund or administer a school meal programme, though at the 2023 United Nations Food System Summit the Permanent Mission of Tuvalu to the UN expressed their support for the development of a school meal programme.
