Get a PEF Voucher School Seat in Punjab: No Direct Applications, Ask a Partner School

You cannot apply for a Punjab Education Foundation voucher yourself. PEF's own FAQ answers "Can students apply for EVS voucher cards directly?" with one word: No. A child gets a voucher only through a PEF partner school's nomination or a PEF household survey, and must be NADRA verified, so a B-Form is needed.

Once your child has a voucher, schooling at a partner school is free. The school cannot charge any fee in any form, and PEF supplies Punjab textbooks free. We read the Foundation's Education Voucher Scheme pages and FAQ on pef.edu.pk to set out how the route works and what to do if a school breaks the rules.

The PEF voucher comes through a school or a survey, not an application

PEF issues a voucher card after registering an eligible, NADRA verified child through one of three routes. A partner school nominates the child, a PEF team finds the child in a household survey, or a hired third party does the survey. There is no public application form.

The Education Voucher Scheme, or EVS, started in 2006 in the slum areas of Lahore. PEF says it now runs in all 36 districts of Punjab. Its overview page, written around the scheme's 15th year, puts it at about 0.5 million children in more than 1,780 partner schools.

So the practical route for most families is the first one. Find a partner school near you and ask it to nominate your child.

A B-Form is the one paper you cannot skip

PEF's FAQ says vouchers are issued to "eligible NADRA verified students". In practice that means the child must be registered with NADRA, which is what a B-Form shows. Without it, a nomination cannot be checked.

If your child has no B-Form, get it first. The NADRA B-Form requirements start with a birth registered at the union council, and a birth certificate in Pakistan is issued there. Keep both parents' CNICs ready too.

A child moving from a government school also needs a school leaving certificate. PEF's selection criteria say partner schools that enrol children from nearby government schools must get that certificate, and it is checked when vouchers are handed out. The old school must issue a school leaving certificate in Punjab within three working days.

How to get your child a PEF voucher seat, step by step

Find an EVS partner school near home, ask the head to nominate your child, and hand in the B-Form and your CNIC. PEF then verifies the child with NADRA and gives the voucher to you. You submit it at the partner school of your choice.

1. Find a partner school. Ask private schools in your area if they are PEF EVS partners, or call PEF's UAN, 111-003-004, and ask for partner schools in your union council.
2. Ask the head to nominate your child. Nomination by partner schools is one of the three routes PEF lists.
3. Give the B-Form and your CNIC. PEF registers only NADRA verified children.
4. Bring the old school's leaving certificate if the child is moving from a government school.
5. Collect the voucher card. PEF says it distributes vouchers to parents or guardians.
6. Submit it at the partner school you choose. The school then claims the monthly payment from PEF.

One voucher covers one child. It cannot be passed to a brother or sister, and it cannot be cashed at a bank.

PEF pays the school, so you pay nothing

PEF pays each partner school a fixed amount per voucher child every month, straight into the school's bank account. In return the school may not charge the family anything: no fines, stationery, photocopies, tours, admission, registration or leaving certificate fees.

PEF's FAQ also says Punjab textbooks are supplied free through PEF. The only exception it allows is a field trip or activity done with the parents' consent through the school's Parent Teacher Council.

PEF checks the school's results every year

PEF runs a Quality Assurance Test, called QAT, in partner schools once a year. Half the students must score at least 40 percent in every subject. A school that fails twice in a row has its payment cut by half, and a third failure ends the partnership.

That matters to a parent. If your child's school loses its partnership, ask PEF how the voucher moves to another partner school. PEF's FAQ says a voucher can be used in any EVS partner school.

PEF also says it has zero tolerance for corporal punishment. A school where it is reported is fined under PEF's procedures, and repeat cases can end the partnership.

Complain to PEF's complaint cell if a school charges you

PEF runs a Centralized Complaint Cell for complaints against partner schools. Call 042-99230113 or 042-99230127, email complaint@pef.edu.pk, or send a written application. The cell also takes complaints sent through the Prime Minister's portal.

Give the school's name and address, your child's name and class, what was charged and when. Keep receipts or photos of any slip.

PEF moved its head office on 1 October 2026. A circular dated 23 September 2026 gives the new address as 302-H/3, Johar Town, Lahore, with the phone number 042-99232791 and UAN 111-003-004. The complaint cell page still shows the old Gulberg address in its footer.

If no partner school is near you, a government school in Punjab must admit your child free. Unaided private schools must also keep 10 percent of seats free under the 2024 Rules.

Common questions

Can I apply online for a PEF voucher?

No. PEF's FAQ says students cannot apply for EVS voucher cards directly. Vouchers come through partner school nominations or PEF household surveys.

Is the PEF voucher valid in any private school?

No. It is valid only in EVS partner schools, but you can use it at any partner school you choose.

Can a PEF partner school charge admission or exam fees?

No. PEF bars fees in any form for voucher children, including admission, registration, fines, stationery, photocopies and the leaving certificate.

Can my younger child use my older child's voucher?

No. One voucher is valid for one child only and cannot be transferred to a brother or sister.

What is the new PEF head office address?

302-H/3, Johar Town, Lahore, from 1 October 2026, according to PEF's circular of 23 September 2026. The UAN is 111-003-004.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked on 2 October 2026. We read the Punjab Education Foundation's EVS FAQ, its EVS overview and selection criteria, its complaint cell page and its circular PEF/ADMIN/2026/2170 dated 23 September 2026 on the head office move. PEF's partner school list page showed no list when we opened it, and its blacklisted schools file returned an error, so we could not check partner or blacklisted schools by name. The 0.5 million children and 1,780 schools figures come from PEF's overview, which describes the scheme at about 15 years old and has no date.