Vocational students frustrated by stipend delays

Some claim they have not received a single rupee of announced amounts

LAHORE: A number of students at the Punjab government-run vocational training institute have complained about delays in getting the stipend which has been announced for them.

Many also raised concerns over the procedure adopted for the transfer of funds.



The Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) provided short-term job-driven courses and announced a stipend for students taking these programmes on a monthly basis. The programmes range from three to six months in length and include market driven courses. TEVTA calls the programme Industry Demand Driven (IDD) short courses and is meant to provide Rs1,000 per month as a stipend.

A student attending the six-month long beautician course at the Government Vocational Training Institute for Women in Township tells The Express Tribune she had been studying for three months and is yet to receive a single rupee.



She continues that some of her classmates received just Rs1,000, but even this has been denied to her. “We are told that we will get the stipend, but no timeframe has been given thus far.”

When contacted, the institute’s principal, Saira Malik, says around 50% of the students have received their due amounts. She adds that as these are IDD courses, the institutes disburse the stipend after a few months as it is required as per the budget received allocations. “Every student will get their stipend,” she assures.



TEVTA Chairman Irfan Qaiser Sheikh, in a statement, admits the payment has been delayed in a number of places, but there is no complaint of stipends being withheld and not given to students. He adds TEVTA is working on making transparent procedures of stipend payments to its students.

“We are about to strike a deal with a bank soon and provide ATM cards to the students,” he claims.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 11^th, 2017.