A much-anticipated initiative aimed at empowering female teachers through improved mobility has hit a roadblock, as the promise to provide free electric scooters to thousands of women educators remains unfulfilled. Despite earlier commitments, the Punjab government’s 2025–26 fiscal budget has failed to allocate any funds for the scheme.
A Missed Opportunity for Empowerment
The School Education Department had previously declared a plan to provide electric scooters to women teachers all over the province. The move is assumed to be a massive step toward supporting female professionals, particularly those working in remote or under-resourced areas where public transportation is highly unavailable, or if available, then it is not reliable to a particular extent.
However, with no budgetary provision made this year, the program is effectively on hold—causing disappointment among many women who were counting on it to ease their daily challenges.
“The scooter would have made such a big difference for me,” says Saima Bibi, a schoolteacher in a rural district. “I travel over 15 kilometers every day and spend a large portion of my salary on transport. It’s frustrating that promises are made but not kept.”
Unfulfilled Promises
The provincial education minister had publicly taken an oath to provide scooters to both school and college teachers, emphasizing the high need to improve transportation access for women in education. The program was anticipated to provide a number of benefits to thousands of teachers, especially those who are working hard in rural areas, where travel options are scarce and often unsafe.
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But the recent budget presentation made no mention of the initiative, leading many to question the government’s priorities regarding women’s mobility and welfare.
Real-World Impacts
Without reliable and independent means of transport, many female teachers:
• Arrive late to school due to poor public transit
• Face safety concerns during long commutes
• Are forced to rely on costly and sometimes unsafe private transport options
This situation will not only impose various effects on teachers themselves, but it is also going to impact students and school operations, as delays or absenteeism can disrupt the learning process.
Call for Immediate Action
Women teachers are now calling on the government to revisit its commitment and allocate emergency funds if necessary to launch the scooter distribution program. They keep on emphasizing that such initiatives are not just perks, but are considered to be the most useful tools for professional efficiency, personal safety, and gender empowerment.
Unless action is taken soon, what was once considered as a progressive and practical policy may be remembered as just another broken promise.