The start of the final academic term got off to a rocky start on Monday when scholar transport operators pulled their services, leaving thousands of pupils either having to walk to and from school or to miss out on valuable classroom time.
Operators said they were owed money by the provincial department of transport and would only resume service once outstanding debt is settled.
They also want to discuss a new tariff rate, as well as a 6% annual increase, which service providers said was agreed upon in 2022 but stopped the following year.
When word did the rounds last week that the scholar transport service would be grounded when schools reopened, it came as little surprise to the public. The same threat is made every term, every year.
Sometimes the service providers make good on their threats; other times they find common ground with provincial government to avert a crisis.
This is not the first time the scholar transport service has failed in the Eastern Cape and it won’t be the last. The provincial government has been repeatedly criticised for its poor planning, mismanagement and failure to pay transport operators on time.
Operators have shown patience, but months of unpaid invoices and the growing fuel costs have pushed many to the brink of bankruptcy.
The transport department blamed administrative challenges for the delays, assuring on Monday that it had the means to pay.
The question is: why allow it to get to point where thousands of schoolchildren are left in limbo?
The exact number of pupils affected by the lack of scholar transport services is not known, but several regions in the Eastern Cape reported high rates of non-attendance on Monday.
At least one school on the East Coast Resorts just outside East London reported a 100% absenteeism rate, while some pupils in KwaBhaca took on the 15km trek to school.
The schoolchildren always pay the highest price
With the final matric exams due to start later this month, not having transport to school could set back pupils’ preparations. For many, school is also where they will receive their only meal for the day.
The blame game between government departments and transport operators does not change that schoolchildren always pay the highest price.
To break this vicious cycle, the provincial transport department must prioritise the scholar transport programme as an essential service.
Payments to operators must be done timeously and when issues arise, the parties concerned should resolve it without disrupting pupils’ education.
Daily Dispatch
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