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) with the School Education Department. PSPA’s website counts about 906,000 Zewar-e-Taleem beneficiaries so far, which makes it one of the largest programmes of its kind in the province.

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. PSPA says the purpose is to improve enrolment and retention in schools, and also to help with 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

Based on PSPA’s official page, the student 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
  • Keeping at least 80 percent attendance, because the money is released only after the attendance report

PSPA’s page does not set a separate household income test. It says the stipend goes to students enrolled through the School Education Department’s annual enrolment drive, after successful biometric verification. A girl leaves the program when she finishes class 10, or if she drops out of school.

zewar e taleem program: GoPunjab key facts card
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.

PSPA’s page lists these 17 districts:

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

The same page also describes the programme as running in “16 districts”, so the official count and list do not quite match. 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

As of September 2026, PSPA’s page says the stipend is Rs 1,000 per month. It is paid every three months, which works out to Rs 3,000 a quarter, once the School Education Department sends PSPA the attendance report.

Payment is made through a branchless banking system developed by PSPA, with fingerprint (biometric) verification. 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 September 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 keeps her enrolment and attendance records, and the School Education Department reports attendance to PSPA.
  3. Each quarter, the stipend is released for girls whose attendance report shows at least 80 percent.
  4. The family collects the money through branchless banking after fingerprint verification.

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 whose CNIC and mobile number are on record for her stipend.

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 CNIC of the parent or guardian linked to the stipend, since collection needs fingerprint verification
  • 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 80 percent in that quarter? This is the most common cause.
  2. Class. Has she finished 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. Fingerprints. Did the fingerprint verification fail at the banking agent?
  6. 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, but keep an eye on the 80 percent line.
  • 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 the PEEF Scholarship and, later, the Honhaar Scholarship. As of September 2026, neither had announced a new round for Punjab students, so watch their official pages.
  • 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.

Contact

Other education support

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

  • Benazir Taleemi Wazaif, the federal education stipend for children of Kafaalat families
  • PEEF Scholarship, for Punjab students continuing their studies (no 2026-27 round announced as of September 2026)
  • Honhaar Scholarship, for university study in Punjab (as of September 2026, its portal is open only to AJK students)
  • Ehsaas Scholarship, the federal undergraduate scholarship, which has been closed to new students since 2021-22

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.