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 Eritrea, the Ministry of Education (MoE) is the central authority responsible for financing, allocating, and overseeing budgets for pre-primary, primary, lower secondary, and secondary education. While the MoE sets national education policies and manages programme-based budgeting, six regional Zoba Education Offices, established under the 1996 Decentralisation Act, oversee administration and management within their jurisdictions. School management collaborates with Parent-Teacher-Student Associations (PTSAs), which can also help mobilise community resources.
The primary financing mechanism is direct government funding through the national budget, with most allocated to personnel costs. Additional resources come from external donors and development partners, including the World Bank, the European Commission and Trust Fund, the African Development Bank, the Global Partnership for Education, and UNICEF, while local contributions support schools, particularly in disadvantaged or remote areas.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
The Ministry of Education (MoE) allocates national education budgets to the six regional Zoba Education Offices under the 2018–2022 Education Sector Plan. Regional offices are responsible for distributing resources to schools, ensuring priorities such as equity and access are met. The primary funding mechanism is direct budget allocations from the Central Government, supplemented by targeted grants from development partners mentioned above, often earmarked for specific regions or vulnerable groups. Regional offices submit budget requests to the MoE, which consolidates them into the overall sector budget for approval and disbursement. While allocation formulas are not strictly formula-based, national priorities guide distribution. Community contributions, coordinated through Parent-Teacher-Student Associations, further supplement resources, particularly for infrastructure and operational needs.
No information was found on a mechanism for distributing resources to subnational governments that considers equity. A 2019 Ministry of Education report, Access to Quality Education for All Eritreans, notes regional variations in allocations.
2. Education resources to schools
Resources are allocated to schools through a combination of direct government funding, community contributions, and targeted donor support. The Ministry of Education emphasises equitable access and the expansion of educational opportunities for all citizens, regardless of region, gender, ethnicity, or socio-economic status. The 2018–2022 Education Sector Plan highlights the importance of social justice and equitable resource distribution, and a 2017 Education Sector Analysis observed that boarding schools in remote regions received higher per-student allocations than schools in more populated areas. However, no information was found on a formula-driven mechanism that adjusts funding based on school disadvantages or operational costs.
Nomadic Education Initiative
The Nomadic Education Initiative, formalised in the 2010 Nomadic Education Policy, targets children from nomadic and pastoralist communities to ensure equitable access to education. The programme focuses on historically marginalised populations, including those out of school or attending Complementary Elementary Education (CEE) programmes. Key strategies include mobile and semi-permanent schools, low-cost classrooms in remote areas, and flexible school calendars designed to align with nomadic migration patterns.
Complementary Elementary Education (CEE)
Complementary Elementary Education (CEE) is a specialised programme targeting out-of-school children aged 9 to 14 in the four most disadvantaged regions: Anseba, Gash Barka, Northern Red Sea, and Southern Red Sea. Jointly implemented by the government and UNICEF, with support from other partners, CEE focuses on pastoralist communities and aims to provide foundational literacy and numeracy skills. The programme compresses the standard five-year elementary curriculum into a three-year accelerated course, adapted to learners’ needs and delivered in local languages such as Tigrinya, Tigre, Kunama, Saho, and Hidareb, to prepare students for transition into formal schooling or vocational training.
3. Education resources to students and families
The 2018-2022 Education Sector Plan emphasised improving access and equity for vulnerable populations, including children with disabilities, girls, out-of-school children, and those from disadvantaged communities, aiming to realise the principle of social justice. However, most equity-focused initiatives in basic education are supported by development partners, while the government prioritises funding for adult literacy, non-formal education programmes, and access to TVET.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
The Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare (MLSW) is the primary government body responsible for social welfare, targeting people with disabilities, disadvantaged children, families of war veterans, the elderly, and the poor.
Cash Transfers to Families
The Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare (MLSW), in partnership with UNICEF, implements a cash transfer programme that provides households with financial support and income-generating opportunities to improve access to education and health services. The programme operates through the existing community-based social assistance mechanism and is primarily funded by UNICEF.
5. School meal programmes
Eritrea does not have a nationwide, government-financed school meal programme for all public schools; rather, school feeding has been implemented mainly for Eritrean refugee and crisis-affected children through World Food Programme (WFP) operations and other humanitarian programmes since at least the early 2000s, typically outside Eritrea’s regular education system. Interventions include emergency food support, distribution of locally produced high-energy biscuits, and school-based nutrition services, with growing interest in local food sourcing.
Within Eritrea, national nutrition efforts are framed through the National Nutrition Strategy and food security policies led primarily by the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Agriculture, with the Ministry of Education mentioned in general human capital and food security roles, but these documents do not describe a state run school meal scheme, specific implementing ministry, or a dedicated school meal budget line. Security policies led primarily by the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Agriculture, with the Ministry of Education mentioned in general human capital and food security roles, but these documents do not describe a state-run school meal scheme, specific implementing ministry, or a dedicated school meal budget line.
This profile was reviewed by Dr. Ravinder Rena, Professor of Economics, Durban University of Technology.
