ISLAMABAD: Official announcements by the Punjab government on new skill-building programmes for transgender individuals come as the province’s pioneering transgender educational institutions face funding and administrative difficulties.
In a tweet, Senior Punjab Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb highlighted Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s “Chief Minister Skills Development Program for Transgenders”, citing 2,473 skilled individuals, 50 percent employment placement, toolkits, Nadra registration support and an upcoming “Umeed Skills for Inclusion” phase with a Rs520 million budget.
The province’s primary Trans-Education school network, which has produced more than 500 graduates, now faces halted funding, unpaid stipends and administrative uncertainty.
The News has reported infrastructure deterioration, stoppage free transportation, and security lapses. Comparative visual documentation shows campuses stripped of essential assets - including stolen solar panels, inverters, sewing machines, and air conditioning units - leaving classrooms largely unviable as the new academic session begins.
Punjab government Spokesperson Azma Bukhari has denied that the schools were being shut down, saying the project was undergoing an administrative transfer to the Literacy Department, adding the pause in salaries and student stipends followed lapse of Rs50 million federal grant in June 2026 because of pending bank account arrangements under the Literacy Department. She said police were investigating missing equipment in Bahawalpur through an FIR, while equipment relocated in Multan would be restored after the grant was reapproved and transferred.
