ACCO PAKISTAN

The incumbent government launched Ehsaas Program, a flagship initiative of the government that aims to help all those in need, through a variety of ways. This program uses the database of Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) to locate and vet the people who are in need of financial assistance from the government. The latest of this Program is Ehsaas Education Stipends which is directed to ensure the enrollment of 20 million out-of-school children into the educational system. This is how the initiative will provide assistance to the students

All About The Ehsaas Education Stipends

Prime Minister Imran Khan unveiled the plan for Ehsaas Scholarship program during an inauguration ceremony in Islamabad. He said that for any country to grow, it needs to invest in its own assets and for any country its younger people are the biggest asset. Moreover, he emphasized that all children belong in schools and by not providing them with resources to access education, their right is being denied.

To ensure a larger number of students are able to rejoin schools, as many left during the pandemic in 2020, and to encourage higher enrolment, a stipend has been allocated for all students who will attend school under the program.

How Do Ehsaas Education Stipends Work

The Ehsaas Education Stipends will be given to all the parents who can ensure 70% attendance of their children in schools. Therefore, the stipend will be primarily given to the parents, rather than the students.

Under the Ehsaas Education Scholarships, students’ attendance will be closely monitored to ensure compliance. This will also stop child labor from being as widespread it is in the country. In addition to this, a large percentage of students who leave school to financially support their families, will have their needs met through this stipend.

These stipends will be given quarterly to students’ parents, and a higher amount has been allocated for girls, as the PM believes that the drop-out rates for female students are much higher compared with boys and that boys’ education is always preferred to that of girls.

The stipend will be distributed as follows:

Primary level

• Boys: PKR 1,500
• Girls: PKR 2,000

Secondary Level

• Boys: PKR 2,500
• Girls: PKR 3,000

Higher Secondary Level

• Boys: PKR 3,500
• Girls: PKR 4,000

In addition to this, a PKR 3,000 bonus will be given to girls who complete their primary-level education (till Grade Five).

The stipends will be disbursed to families through an online payments system to ensure complete transparency and avoid any delays. This program falls under the ambit of Education Conditional Cash Transfers (CCT) which is a running program since 2012 but only covered education till primary level (grade 5^th) of specific districts in the country. The Ehsaas Education Stipend Program is a much larger and all-encompassing program that will cover all areas of Pakistan. This is created by ensuring continued federal-provincial coordination to ensure efficient implementation and smooth functioning in the long run. This entire program will run through an online integrated system, while new eligible people will be added to the database regularly.

Want to learn more about the Ehsaas Program, check out the following:

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