Benazir taleemi wazaif
Benazir Taleemi Wazaif is a Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program aimed at promoting education among the children of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) active Kafalat beneficiaries. The program provides additional cash incentives to encourage families to enroll their children in schools and colleges and reduce dropout rates by ensuring student retention up to the higher secondary level.
Objectives
The primary objectives of the Benazir Taleemi Wazaif program are:
- To create long-term sustainable awareness about the importance of primary, secondary, and higher secondary education among BISP beneficiary families.
- To increase the enrollment of children in schools for primary, secondary, and higher secondary education.
- To improve school attendance among children.
- To decrease school dropout rates.
Stakeholders
The key stakeholders involved in the execution of the program include:
- BISP
- Provincial Education Departments
- Schools
- Donors
Background
Launched as a pilot in November 2012 across five districts, the Benazir Taleemi Wazaif program has progressively expanded. By 2015, it covered 32 districts, reached 50 districts by 2018, and by January 2020, it had extended to 100 districts. As of July 2020, the program operates in all districts of Pakistan.
Key Processes
1. Micro Supply Capacity Assessment (MSCA)
BISP collects data on the micro supply capacity of all public schools from provincial education departments to identify available capacity, infrastructural conditions, accessibility, and catchment area of both public and private schools before starting registration and enrollment activities.
2. Social Mobilization
BISP field teams visit various localities to create awareness about the importance of education among beneficiary families and to mobilize them to enroll their children in schools. They also visit non-compliant families to understand the reasons for non-compliance and motivate them to meet the required attendance.
3. Registration and Enrollment
After completing the MSCA, a massive registration process begins. Potential beneficiaries are invited to registration centers established close to their vicinities. Successful registration makes the family and its eligible children beneficiaries of the program.
4. Admission and Attendance Compliance
Cash transfers under Benazir Taleemi Wazaif are conditional on compliance with admission and attendance requirements. Families must ensure their children’s attendance meets the program’s standards to continue receiving benefits. Non-compliance results in suspension of benefits.
5. Case Management
Beneficiaries can lodge complaints through field offices. Quick disposal of complaints is essential to improve implementation efficiency and enhance beneficiary confidence, encouraging school enrollment.
Eligibility Criteria
Children eligible for enrollment in the Benazir Taleemi Wazaif program must:
- Be children of active BISP Kafalat Beneficiaries.
- Meet the age criteria: 4-12 years for primary education, 8-18 years for secondary education, and 13-22 years for higher secondary education.
Enrollment Process
To become a beneficiary, children must be admitted to a school or college in any district. Beneficiaries must visit enrollment camps with the following documents:
- CNIC of the beneficiary.
- B-form/CRC issued by NADRA.
- School/college admission slip verified by a teacher. Verification through the NADRA database is mandatory.
Co-Responsibilities
To receive cash transfers, children must comply with two co-responsibilities:
- Admission Co-responsibility: Verified once during registration.
- Attendance Co-responsibility: Must attend school for at least 70% of the effective days within a quarter to continue receiving cash transfers from the second quarter onwards.
Benefit Amount
The stipend rates for enrolled children are:
| Description | Per Boy/Quarter (Rs.) | Per Girl/Quarter (Rs.) |
| Primary Level | 1,500 | 2,000 |
| Secondary Level | 2,500 | 3,000 |
| Higher Secondary Level | 3,500 | 4,000 |
Graduation Bonus for Girls
A one-time graduation bonus of Rs. 3,000 is provided to encourage girls to complete primary education.
Enrollment Statistics
Since the program’s inception, 12.01 million children have been enrolled. The enrollment breakdown by education level is as follows:
| Education Level | No. of Boys | No. of Girls | Total Children |
| Primary | 4,853,113 | 4,453,211 | 9,306,324 |
| Secondary | 1,323,955 | 1,082,904 | 2,406,859 |
| Higher Secondary | 156,851 | 140,810 | 297,661 |
| Total | 6,333,919 | 5,676,925 | 12,010,844 |
Disbursement Statistics
To date, BISP has disbursed Rs. 63.34 billion under Benazir Taleemi Wazaif. The annual disbursement details are as follows:
| Financial Year | No. of Children Paid | Amount Disbursed (PKR) |
| 2013-14 | 32,983 | 84,114,000 |
| 2014-15 | 670,106 | 472,888,200 |
| 2015-16 | 1,201,099 | 1,858,420,800 |
| 2016-17 | 1,266,978 | 2,275,221,750 |
| 2017-18 | 1,609,115 | 3,304,563,150 |
| 2018-19 | 2,469,071 | 4,012,074,000 |
| 2019-20 | 1,313,281 | 3,707,712,500 |
| 2020-21 | 1,237,384 | 3,665,298,500 |
| 2021-22 | 5,183,187 | 20,482,684,500 |
| 2022-23 | 5,687,870 | 23,478,686,000 |
| Grand Total | 63,341,663,400 |
Benazir Taleemi Wazaif is a transformative initiative aimed at ensuring educational opportunities for children from marginalized families, fostering long-term educational and socio-economic improvements in Pakistan.