Nearly 20,000 teachers working in about 4,300 schools run under the Punjab Education Initiatives Management Authority (PEIMA) have not received salaries for the past three months, causing severe financial hardship.
Teachers and school administrations say payments to partner schools for January, February, and March remain pending, making it difficult to pay staff and manage operational expenses.
The delay has forced many teachers to consider leaving their jobs in search of a stable income.
Education experts warn that a shortage of teachers could disrupt learning in thousands of schools and affect nearly 600,000 students enrolled under the program.
Teachers have also warned of protests before Eid if the pending payments are not released soon.
Responding to concerns, PEIMA Chief Executive Officer Imtiaz Shahid Gondal said payments up to January had already been released, while February payments were expected within the next five to seven days.
He clarified that PEIMA provides subsidies to partner schools, which are responsible for paying salaries to their teachers.