The Zewar-e-Taleem program pays a stipend to girls studying in Punjab government schools in selected districts, on the condition that they keep attending. This guide explains who qualifies, which districts are covered, how much is paid, and what to do if a payment stops.

It is run by the Punjab Social Protection Authority (PSPA), and it is one of the largest programmes of its kind in the province, with reported beneficiaries in the hundreds of thousands.

What the Zewar-e-Taleem program is trying to fix

In parts of Punjab, girls enrol in primary school in reasonable numbers and then disappear from the system around class 6. The reasons are usually economic rather than cultural alone: the cost of books, uniform, and transport, and the value of a daughter’s help at home.

Zewar-e-Taleem attacks that directly. It gives the family a cash reason to keep the girl in school, paid only while she actually attends. In the government’s terms it also supports the nutritional needs of adolescent girls.

This design is called a conditional cash transfer. The money is real, but it is tied to a condition.

Who is eligible

To qualify, the student generally must be:

  • A girl
  • Enrolled in a government school, since private school students are not included
  • Studying in class 6 to class 10
  • In a covered district
  • Maintaining the required monthly attendance, reported as at least 80 percent
  • From a household in a low-income category, verified through PSPA records
Zewar-e-Taleem pays a stipend to girls in classes 6 to 10 in government schools in covered districts.

Which districts are covered

This is the point that disappoints most families, so it is worth being clear: the programme does not cover all of Punjab. It was designed for districts with low female literacy.

Districts reported as covered include:

  • Bahawalnagar
  • Bahawalpur
  • Bhakkar
  • Chiniot
  • Dera Ghazi Khan
  • Jhang
  • Kasur
  • Khanewal
  • Kot Addu
  • Layyah
  • Lodhran
  • Muzaffargarh
  • Okara
  • Pakpattan
  • Rahim Yar Khan
  • Rajanpur
  • Vehari

District lists change as programmes expand or as administrative boundaries are redrawn. Confirm your district with your school or on the PSPA helpline 1221 before relying on this.

If you are outside these districts, look at the federal Benazir Taleemi Wazaif programme instead, which is nationwide for Kafaalat families.

How much is paid

The stipend has been reported at Rs 1,000 per month, generally disbursed as around Rs 3,000 per quarter rather than monthly.

Payment is made through a branchless banking system developed by PSPA, so the family collects it from a banking agent rather than a school office.

Amounts and payment cycles are policy decisions that change. Treat these figures as accurate as of 2026 and confirm the current position with the school or PSPA.

How enrolment works

There is no public online application form, and this trips people up because so many other schemes have one.

Instead:

  1. The girl must be enrolled in a government school in a covered district.
  2. The school maintains enrolment and attendance records.
  3. Eligible students are identified from those records and PSPA data.
  4. Payment is issued through branchless banking to the family.

So the practical first step is not a website. It is a conversation with the head teacher of your daughter’s school. Ask whether the school is covered, whether your daughter is on the list, and whether the family’s CNIC and mobile details on record are correct.

If the school cannot help, call the PSPA social protection helpline 1221.

What to keep correct

Payments fail more often for record problems than for genuine ineligibility. Keep these accurate:

  • The mother’s or guardian’s CNIC, since payment is usually tied to it
  • An active mobile number registered on that CNIC
  • The student’s B-Form
  • The school’s records, especially after a transfer

If you change school or move district, tell the school immediately.

If the payment stops

Check in this order:

  1. Attendance. Did attendance fall below the threshold in that month? This is the most common cause.
  2. Class. Has she moved beyond class 10, which ends eligibility?
  3. Records. Has the CNIC or mobile number changed?
  4. School transfer. Did she change school without the record being updated?
  5. Payment cycle. Quarterly payment can simply be later than expected.

Start with the head teacher, who can see the attendance record, then call 1221.

Why the attendance condition exists

Some parents feel the attendance rule is harsh, especially when a daughter falls ill or the family travels for a funeral or harvest. It is worth understanding why it is there.

An unconditional payment would help families, but it would not necessarily keep girls in class. The condition is what turns the money into an education programme rather than simple charity. It gives a parent a concrete reason to send the girl each morning, even in weeks when her help would be useful at home.

In practice this means:

  • Occasional absence for genuine illness is normal and usually survivable within the monthly threshold.
  • Long unexplained absence is what breaks the payment.
  • Attendance must be recorded. If your daughter attended but the register says otherwise, that is a record problem worth raising immediately with the head teacher, not something to wait out.

Ask the school how attendance is recorded and how often it is submitted, so you know when a problem would show up.

Keep the girl enrolled through class 10

Eligibility runs from class 6 to class 10, which is exactly the stretch where drop-out is highest. A few practical points:

  • Payment ends after class 10, so plan ahead rather than treating the stop as an error.
  • If she continues to college, look at PEEF Scholarship and Honhaar Scholarship, which support later study.
  • If the family moves, transfer her to a government school in a covered district if you can, since a move to a private school or an uncovered district ends eligibility.

Watch out for fraud

  • The stipend is free. There is no registration fee.
  • No agent can add your daughter’s name to the list.
  • Never share an OTP with anyone, including someone claiming to be from the school or a bank.
  • Payment comes through official branchless banking, not through a private person.

Report demands for money through the Pakistan Citizen’s Portal.

Other education support

If Zewar-e-Taleem does not apply to you, consider:

To see which Punjab and federal programmes your household may qualify for, try our free eligibility checker.

GoPunjab is an independent information website. We are not PSPA or the School Education Department, cannot enrol your daughter, check attendance records, or release a payment. We only explain how the official process works.