The Saskatchewan government is offering up funding to religion-based schools that are not a part of the public school system.

The "qualified independent schools" can receive 50 per cent of the per-student funding that public or Catholic schools typically get.

However, they have to follow provincial criteria, including participating in the Saskatchewan's student assessment program.

The province is also changing funding for associate schools, which are religion-based schools that are already supervised by the public system.

Those schools can now qualify for 80 per cent of the regular per student rate.