The Punjab Education Department has ordered the recovery of bonus salaries mistakenly paid to 35,000 daily wage teachers as part of their May 2026 stipends.
School teacher interns were pleased to receive an additional amount in their bank accounts during the summer vacation period. However, the education department later said the payment was made because of a system error and directed officials to recover the excess amount.
According to a letter issued by the department, the May 2026 stipend bills of schoolteacher interns were processed, and the money was transferred to the bank accounts of all interns.
The department said that, under the approved schedule, temporary daily wage teachers were entitled to salaries only until May 21, 2026, because summer vacations started on May 22.
The department clarified that, due to a processing error, all 30,000 school interns were accidentally paid a full month’s stipend for May. This resulted in an overpayment of 10 days’ salary for the period from May 22 to May 31.
The department has directed all concerned offices to collect the excess amount paid to school interns under their management by June 15 and deposit it in the government treasury.
Daily wage schoolteachers have expressed disappointment over the decision. They said the mistake was not their fault, especially since the department had announced early summer vacations this year from May 22.
The teachers said they had already used the additional amount to cover Eid expenses and were now worried about how they would return the money.
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