The Punjab School Education Department has released Rs4.8875 billion in non-salary budget funds for primary, elementary and higher secondary schools across all 36 districts of the province. According to the department, the funds have been made available at the main branches of the National Bank of Pakistan in the respective districts. The allocation will be used to meet schools’ non-salary expenses during the financial year 2026-27.
District-wise allocations include Rs161.784 million for schools in Lahore, Rs225.972 million for Faisalabad and Rs142.087 million for Rawalpindi. Similarly, Rs1.29167 billion has been allocated for schools in Gujranwala, Rs1.381 billion for Sialkot, Rs1.67128 billion for Bahawalnagar and Rs1.448 billion for Bahawalpur.
Officials said the non-salary budget will be disbursed through cheques according to a prescribed schedule. The funds will be used to cover various operational and other non-salary expenses of schools throughout the financial year. The Punjab government has also placed significant emphasis on the education sector in the provincial budget for 2026-27, allocating a total of Rs 750 billion for education.
It is worth mentioning here that the Punjab School Education Department had also launched a School Meal Programme in various districts of the province at an estimated cost of Rs 6.87 billion. Under the programme, around 10.028 million students will receive milk three days a week, while biscuits will be provided on one day each week.
Punjab Chief Minister has formally approved the launch of the programme in 7,294 schools, with implementation scheduled to begin in September 2026. The initiative aims to improve students’ nutritional intake and support their health and well-being, particularly among children enrolled in government schools across the province.
The program will be implemented in 13 districts of Punjab during the current financial year: Bahawalnagar, Bhakkar, Chiniot, Dera Ghazi Khan, Kot Addu, Layyah, Lodhran, Mianwali, Muzaffargarh, Rahim Yar Khan, Rajanpur, Taunsa, and Vehari.