When warehouses stocking school books and learning materials – and their inventories – are not properly managed, it can lead to losses, damage, unnecessary purchases, increased storage fees and delays in delivery to schools and their students. These problems affect rural and lower-income communities most severely, widening existing inequalities in education.

In Peru, the Ministry of Education designs, produces and purchases materials for early years, primary and secondary education. It transports them to regional education bodies and local school districts, which must then store, organise and distribute them to individual schools. This final stage is especially difficult in remote Andean and Amazonian areas.

Official figures show the scale of the problem. In 2019, only 16.6 percent of primary schools received printed materials in sufficient quantities, in good condition and before the school year began. The figure was just 6.7 percent in rural areas. School districts report late deliveries, too few warehouse staff and inadequate storage space as major constraints.

The Subnational PFM programme works with six regional governments and their local school districts. Its support covers the full warehouse process: receiving materials, organising and storing them, managing inventories and distributing them to schools.

The aim is simply to help materials arrive complete, undamaged and on time.

The programme combines several forms of support, following thorough assessments of the status quo:

• Training for warehouse teams: Practical training and technical assistance help logistics and warehouse staff improve day-to-day management.
• Common procedures: Standard protocols set clear steps for receiving, organising, storing, controlling, distributing and disposing of materials.
• Reliable information: Digital tools record warehouse conditions, identify operational gaps and track progress.
• Warehouse-specific plans: Diagnostics are translated into practical actions on layout, signage, security, working conditions, inventory control and use of space.
• Better stock control: Information systems improve records and make stored goods easier to trace.
• Follow-through: The programme monitors improvements and helps education and logistics teams work together across the supply chain.

Regional governments and school districts now have clearer procedures for receiving, storing, recording and distributing educational materials. Staff training and standard protocols have improved inventory control and created better conditions for timely delivery to schools.

The programme has also helped warehouses use their existing space more effectively. Teams have reorganised storage and removed obsolete or unused materials. Digital tools make it easier to track stock, monitor warehouse conditions and base decisions on reliable information.

The work has influenced practice beyond the six participating regions. Diagnostics produced by the programme highlighted common gaps and prompted Peru’s Ministry of Economy and Finance to carry out similar assessments elsewhere and refine national guidance on storage and inventories. The programme contributes evidence and practical tools, while the Ministry provides regulatory oversight, specialist training and support for wider adoption.

This experience shows that education logistics can improve without relying only on expensive new infrastructure. Clear procedures, usable information and trained staff can recover space, cut avoidable costs and make warehouses more secure and reliable. Coordination with national authorities also creates a route for successful approaches to spread beyond the original regions.

For development partners, the key lesson is that strengthening the less visible parts of public administration can have a direct effect on whether children – hundreds of thousands in this case, many in rural areas – receive the materials they need to learn. It is a concrete investment in better use of public funds and more equitable education services.

• About public financial management

• Programa GFP Subnacional website