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 Somalia, the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Higher Education (MoECHE) is responsible for developing and implementing educational policy, including the curriculum, across four federal member states—Jubaland, Hirshabelle, Southwest, and Galmudug—as well as the Banaadir Regional Administration (BRA). The Ministry also promotes consistency across the education system. Federal Member States (FMS) are responsible for financing their own education systems and managing schools, including school personnel. Additionally, most schools are managed by local communities, non-governmental organisations, or the private sector, reflecting a diverse system of education provision.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
Somalia allocates education resources to subnational governments using per capita formulas, calculating the unit cost per student for different programmes and multiplying it by the estimated school-age population. Adjustments for poverty, location, and gender are applied through weighted budget lines, bursaries, or targeted programmes. Donor-funded programmes follow similar allocation methods with minimum floors and need-based caps to ensure equity.
Under the 2022–2026 Education Sector Strategic Plan, aligned with the 2020 National Education Policy and the 2020–2024 Somalia National Development Plan, nearly $388 million is allocated over five years. This includes $296.2 million for recurrent costs (about three-quarters of total expenditure) and $91.8 million for development costs. The Ministry of Education, Culture, and Higher Education (MoECHE) receives the largest share (36.5%), while South West and Hirshabelle are the highest-funded federal member states.
2. Education resources to schools
No information has been found.
3. Education resources to students and families
Pro-Poor Education Financing
Somalia has a limited but growing set of financing schemes that provide direct support to learners and households, primarily through bursaries, scholarships and in-kind assistance. Under the 2018–2020 Education Sector Strategic Plan, the government committed to providing 10,000 bursaries to disadvantaged primary and lower-secondary students to reduce household education costs. The 2022–2026 plan expands direct support by introducing secondary-level scholarships intended for vulnerable students, with an overall coverage ambition aligned to the country’s 6,250 secondary schools. It also introduces dignity kits for 3,500 girls, an in-kind subsidy that directly supports female learners by reducing gender-related barriers to attendance.
In Somaliland, the 2017–2021 Education Sector Strategic Plan included scholarships for 500 marginalised female secondary students, including girls with disabilities and those from displaced or pastoralist communities. These schemes represent the principal forms of direct pro-poor financing in Somalia’s education sector and reflect a gradual move toward reducing out-of-pocket costs for the most disadvantaged households.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
Shock Responsive Safety Net for Human Capital Project (SNHCP / Baxnaano)
Aligned with the 2019 Social Protection Policy, the Baxnaano Programme is Somalia’s first government-led social protection initiative. Implemented by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MoLSA) with WFP and UNICEF support, it is funded by the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA). The programme delivers support through three complementary windows: a regular unconditional cash transfer (UCT) that provides $20 per household monthly for three years, an emergency shock response which scales up support to $60 per household for six months during crises, and a jobs component aimed at promoting long-term economic inclusion for youth and women through employment creation initiatives. The first window provides nutrition-linked cash transfers to poor and vulnerable households in five Federal Member States (Jubaland, Puntland, South-West, Hiirshabelle, Galmudug) and Somaliland based on an initial geographic targeting and, subsequently, a community-based targeting (CBT) approach.
The programme had a significant impact on education by reducing the financial pressures that often cause school dropouts. By allowing families to cover school fees, transportation and other education-related costs, the cash transfers have increased school attendance and prevented households from resorting to negative coping strategies such as withdrawing children from school for income-generating activities. As a result, 98% of beneficiaries report improved financial security that supports their children’s education.
5. School meal programmes
Numerous school meals programmes exist at the level of the federal member states, primarily overseen by the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Higher Education
Somalia School Feeding Programme
Launched in 2004, the Somalia School Feeding Programme provides in-school meals seven days a week, with additional take-home rations distributed once in May 2021. Specific target populations have not been detailed.
Galmudug School Feeding Programme
Established in 2015, the Galmudug School Feeding Programme offers in-school meals four times per week. Beneficiaries are targeted according to levels of vulnerability.
Puntland Home-Grown School Feeding Programme
The Puntland Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, initiated in 2003, provides both in-school meals and take-home rationsTarget populations have not been defined.
Somaliland School Feeding Programme
Also launched in 2003, the Somaliland School Feeding Programme delivers in-school meals seven days a week, supplemented by take-home rations twice a year. Students are selected based on geographic targeting, focusing on rural, low-income, and agro-pastoral areas.
