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 Pakistan, the administration of education is primarily the responsibility of provincial governments, a shift formalised by the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, which decentralised education from the federal to the provincial level. The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training retains a policymaking, regulatory, and support role, focusing on national curriculum development. Provincial governments administer the bulk of school education through their respective Departments of Education, each headed by a provincial Education Minister and Secretary. At the local level, District Education Authorities and School Management Committees manage the implementation, administration, and oversight of schools.
Budget allocations to the education sector cover all levels of education, related services and subsidiary and administrative support.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
According to the 2010 Presidential Order on the Distribution of Revenues and Grant-in-Aid, provincial shares are allocated based on four indicators - population (82%), poverty/backwardness (10.3%), revenue generation (5%), and inverse population density (2.7%). The resulting distribution gives Punjab 51.74%, Sindh 24.55%, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 14.62%, and Balochistan 9.09%. According to the 2025–2026 Budget, education funding from the federal government to the provinces is limited, as most education financing is devolved and managed through provincial budgets.
2. Education resources to schools
Provincial governments are responsible for providing educational resources to schools. In Punjab, funding supports the construction of additional classrooms, the establishment of IT laboratories, and the improvement of school infrastructure through the Punjab Education Initiative Management Authority (PEIMA). Resources are also directed towards promoting privatisation and sectoral partnerships under the Punjab Education Fund (PEF) and PEIMA, enhancing school excellence in selected districts, and supporting school-based public–private ventures. Additional programmes include a school meal initiative, IT laboratory development in colleges, and the Daanish Schools Programme, which provides quality education to disadvantaged and marginalised children. In Sindh, funding focuses on operating Non-Formal Education centres to reduce the number of out-of-school children, as well as supporting children with special needs through the Special Education School Programme.
3. Education resources to students and families
At the provincial level, there are many stipend programmes for students, many targeting girls and minority students.
Launched in 2003, the Punjab Girl Stipend Programme provides financial support to female students enrolled in public schools from Grades 6 to 10. To remain eligible, students must maintain a minimum of 80 per cent attendance and demonstrate progression to the next grade. The programme is implemented collaboratively by the Punjab School Education Department and the Punjab Social Protection Authority, aiming to promote girls’ continued education and reduce gender disparities in school enrolment.
Established in 2006, the Sindh Girls Stipend Programme provides financial support to female students to encourage continued school attendance and reduce dropout rates. For the 2024–2025 academic year, all girls enrolled in Grades 6, 9, and 10 are eligible, provided they maintain at least 60 per cent attendance over five months of the academic year. The programme is administered jointly by the Sindh School Education & Literacy Department and the Reform Support Unit, reinforcing efforts to improve girls’ educational outcomes across the province.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Transforming Education for Girls (KP-TEG) Programme
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Transforming Education for Girls (KP-TEG) Programme, launched in 2024, aims to expand equitable access to quality education for girls in 11 marginalised districts. Implemented by the Elementary and Secondary Education Department with UNICEF and the Global Partnership for Education, it addresses gender disparities by improving infrastructure, strengthening teacher capacity, and promoting safe, inclusive learning. The programme focuses on boosting enrolment and retention, raising literacy and numeracy outcomes, and enhancing data and planning capacity among education managers. Primary beneficiaries are school-age girls at risk of dropping out, along with their families and communities, while the initiative also supports national education goals on gender equity, system strengthening, and community resilience.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cash-Based Stipend Programme
Launched in 2024, this programme provides stipends to approximately girls in Grades 6 to 12 across more than 500 government girls’ middle and higher schools. The initiative is implemented jointly by E&SED and the World Food Programme (WFP).
Commencing in the 2024–2025 academic year, this programme targets minority students residing in Balochistan, beginning from Grade 6 or 7. Eligible students must achieve at least 60 per cent marks or a 2.5 CGPA. The programme is administered by the Balochistan Education Endowment Fund (BEEF).
4. Social policies and family support programmes
The Benazir Taleemi Wazaif, implemented under the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), is a nationwide Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) initiative that supports the education of children from low-income families. It targets children aged 4 to 22 years from active BISP beneficiary households, covering primary to higher secondary levels. The programme was launched in 2012 as a pilot in five districts and was scaled up to all districts of Pakistan by July 2020. A minimum of 70 per cent school attendance per quarter is required for continued eligibility. Stipend rates vary by education level and gender: Rs. 1,500 per quarter for boys and Rs. 2,000 for girls at the primary level; Rs. 2,500 for boys and Rs. 3,000 for girls at the secondary level; and Rs. 3,500 for boys and Rs. 4,000 for girls at the higher secondary level. A one-time graduation bonus of Rs. 3,000 is provided to girls upon completion of primary education.
The Child Support Programme (CSP), launched in 2007 by Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal, is a conditional cash transfer initiative that provides quarterly financial assistance to poor families living below a defined poverty threshold. Its primary objective is to secure school enrolment and attendance for children aged 5 to 14 years.
5. School meal programmes
School meal provision is delivered through a combination of federal, provincial, and development partner initiatives.
Federal School Meals Programme
The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training launched a school meals programme in 2024, targeting 55,000 children in 207 schools at the federal level. It forms part of the government’s education emergency and national investment in education and health, addressing the nutritional needs of primary-aged children in government and programme-linked schools.
Sindh has introduced the School Khana Programme in partnership with the Allah Wale Trust. Initially covering 100,000 children, the programme is gradually being expanded to additional districts. Its focus is on children from poor, rural, and otherwise disadvantaged areas, aiming to widen access to meals in schools where food insecurity is most acute.
Balochistan School Meals Programme
In Balochistan, the provincial government, together with the World Food Programme and the Benazir Income Support Programme, is running a school meals scheme across 500 public sector schools. The programme has been designed to support children in some of the country’s most geographically marginalised and socio-economically vulnerable regions.
Gilgit-Baltistan School Meals Programme
Gilgit-Baltistan has launched a school feeding initiative targeting 77 primary schools across three districts. The programme prioritises young children in isolated and hard-to-reach areas, where access to adequate nutrition and basic services remains limited.
Punjab Chief Minister’s School Meals Programme
The Chief Minister Punjab Schools Meal Programme provides free daily milk packs to students of standalone primary schools in Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh, and Rajanpur. The programme aims to improve student health, support attendance, and address malnutrition, while incorporating environmental sustainability through the recycling of milk packs. It is sponsored and executed by the School Education Department and is scheduled from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2027.
This profile has been reviewed by Dr. Muhammad Rafiq-uz-Zaman and Kashif Mirza.
