Pakistan grapples with stark gender disparities in literacy and education outcomes owing to socioeconomic barriers. The BISP led Benazir Taleemi Wazaif (BTW) programme attempts addressing endemic inequalities by prioritizing financial access for girls through conditional cash transfers to low-income families.
Females can also apply for Benazir Taleemi Wazaif Program
This article reviews BTW’s gender sensitive design, customized targeting mechanisms and ground execution strategies that collectively combat traditional impediments to promote equivalency and empowerment. The mission of remolding engrained social attitudes by incentivizing female education produces demonstrable dividends.
Pakistan’s Skewed Gender Gap in Education
To fully acknowledge the betting on girl child stipends, understanding Pakistan’s longstanding gender education imbalance and causal undercurrents is imperative.
While female enrollment ratios have certainly enhanced from dismal levels since the 1990s, aggregate national statistics continue showcasing lopsided access distribution:
- Only 49% of girls are literate compared to 70% boys as per latest surveys.
- The trend sustain across all levels – primary, middle and secondary, where girl student ratio lags boys by over 10% consistently.
- The jarring net result is over 9 million girls still remain out of school system.
Myriad challenges foster the huge lag formed over generations – most notably poverty, cultural restrictions, lack of facilities and absence of female teachers in remote areas.
BTW’s Prioritized Assistance Model
In cognizance of these realities, BTW incorporated differential stipend amounts favouring girl child education based on global best practices. The tailored benefits model promotes two-fold outcomes:
a) Incentivizes impoverished families to proactively enroll girls despite financial hardships
b) Compensates opportunity costs borne from more significant sociocultural barriers faced
Specifically, the quarterly cash transfers provisioned under BTW are:
| Education Level | Stipend (Boys) | Stipend (Girls) |
| Primary (Age 4-12 years) | PKR 1,500 | PKR 2,000 |
| Secondary (Age 8-18 years) | PKR 2,500 | PKR 3,000 |
| Higher Secondary (Age 13-22 years) | PKR 3,500 | PKR 4,000 |
Customized Targeting of High Deprivation Districts
Additionally, the phased expansion strategy adopted since 2018 focused on prioritizing 139 districts categorized as ‘Very High’ in MPI index to accelerate girl child empowerment in the most backward pockets.
It ensured dedicated concentration of monetary resources and mobilization efforts in geographies wherein entrenched socio-cultural constraints would have perpetually deprived girls of education sans incentives.
Eliminating Access Barriers through Social Delivery
However, the key catalyst taking forward equal access imperatives has been BISP’s emphasis on community-based social intermediation targeting mindsets, beyond cash rewards.
1. Gender Sensitization Drives
Extensive drives conveying the significance of girl education have helped reform deep rooted missgivings around female mobility, early marriage etc. through constructive dialogue.
2. Community Influence Groups
Platforms like seminars, discussions and conferences have mobilized parents, council heads and local leaders by portraying progressive role models.
3. Gender Specific Monitoring
Regular school visits conducted by lady supervisors have enabled segregated feedback channels for girls thereby identifying ground challenges discreetly.
Thus complementary outreach drives eliminate mental barriers that cannot be overcome through monetary provisions alone.
Early Signs of Promising Traction
Though long-term extrapolation warrants further passage of time, empirical indicators from the 7-year journey traversed reveal positive stirrings:
- As of 2020, 58% of children enrolled under BTW are girls – indicative of higher adoption propensity.
- Majority of new districts witnessing enhanced gross enrolment ratios feature those demarcated for priority girl child targeting.
- Growing instances of girls attempting secondary/college education being reported from erstwhile conservative pockets.
Albeit incremental, the changing tide is manifest through more emancipated mobility, life choices and careers pursued by girls from BTW assisted households.
Summing Up
Sustainable progress notches up when states co-opt communities to foster lasting behavioral change going beyond symptomatic solutions. BTW signifies the uuid power in prudently designed financial interventions complemented by social reengineering to catalyze reform.
The quest for parity is a long-drawn combat with deep social roots, but the need of the hour lies in persevering with positivity and patience. BTW reassures that the objective while difficult, is very achievable.
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.