Program Administration
BISP
Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) is the executing agency responsible for planning, managing and administering the BTW conditional cash transfer program on behalf of the Government of Pakistan. Established in 2008 under the National Social Protection Strategy, BISP functions as the main social safety net targeting underprivileged populations.
CCT
A conditional cash transfer (CCT) refers to a government sponsored social welfare program that incentivizes behavior change through financial payments. Eligible participants receive fixed cash transfers contingent on fulfilling certain conditionalities like sending children to school or getting health checkups done.
BTW is structured as a CCT scheme for education.
Enrollment Dimensions
Kafalat Beneficiary
A BISP Kafalat beneficiary refers to an enrolled woman recipient registered under BISP’s core monthly unconditional cash assistance initiative. The eligibility criteria takes into account poverty rankings based on income evaluations.
Only children of existing active Kafalat beneficiaries qualify for BTW enrollment.
Co-Responsibilities
As a CCT program, continued receipt of BTW cash transfers by enrolled students is tied to fulfilling two key co-responsibilities used for compliance monitoring:
- Admission at start of academic year
- 70% attendance every quarter
Social Mobilization
An important supporting aspect of BTW operations is social mobilization activities comprising community engagement, influencer meets, counseling drives and door-to-door outreach.
This aids awareness generation regarding program benefits and requirements targeted at poor households to maximize education access.
Case Management
Case management refers to the system for handling complaints and issues faced by BTW beneficiaries during program participation. Parents can register grievances at designated BISP tehsil offices for resolution especially related to enrollment, stipend payments, attendance compliance etc. Efficient case management is crucial for maintaining transparency and ensuring continued retention of students.
Spot Checks
BTW operations mandate random physical spot checks at enrolled children’s schools and households for multi-layered verification by program officers. This helps authenticate claimed attendance percentage, verify admission details, assess awareness levels about responsibilities and determine satisfaction towards education quality. Regular spot checks minimize chances of falsified reporting while identifying areas needing assistance.
Payment Disbursal
The education stipends owed to complying BTW students are disbursed on a quarterly payment cycle completed within the initial 15 days of start of new attendance review term. The amount gets credited directly to bank account of the eligible Kafalat beneficiary mother. Bulk payments get processed district-wise based on collated compliance reports. Accurate payment reconciliation helps establish operational efficiencies.
Graduation Bonus
Apart from regular stipends, BTW also offers a one-time monetary Graduation Bonus worth Rs 3,000 for girls successfully completing primary education. This incentive given after exiting Class 5 aids transition to secondary level and motivates families to progress daughters ahead on education trajectory rather than resorting to early dropouts.
Nauman is an education policy analyst associated with BISP as senior program consultant for the Benazir Taleemi Wazaif conditional cash transfer initiative. He heads portfolio management for the program including planning, budgeting and performance monitoring. Nauman has over 10 years experience in the social impact space. He completed his MPhil in Economics from Government College University Lahore, focusing his research on financial inclusion for literacy and skills development.