Scores of aggrieved parents from various schools around Buffalo City Metro picketed outside the scholar transport headquarters in Vincent yesterday morning.
Parents from Kayser’s Beach, Mount Coke, Unit P and Mdantsane carried homemade posters demanding answers after promised scholar transport for their children failed to arrive when schools opened on Tuesday.
Parent Bonani Bhishini said he was frustrated at having to pay R500 a month for his child to travel 20km to Tsholomnqa from Kayser’s Beach and back daily.
He said they had been promised scholar transportation for three years.
“I support my child with a social grant and most of it goes to transport.
“The department of education have approved our school for transportation but we fail to understand what is halting the process because funds are available,” said Bhishini.
BCM Scholar Transportation Association chairman Sowana Somgadi said: “Numbers have dropped to 9635 from last year’s 11388 for pupils who are beneficiaries of scholar transport.” He blamed the department’s school rationalisation policy.
“They cannot say they do not have money and we want them to realise that their system is flawed. Children who travel long distances, who really deserve scholar transport, are not receiving it,” said Somgadi.
Eastern Cape department of transport spokeswoman Khuselwa Rantjie blamed the department of education for not informing them about beneficiaries who had been moved to other schools due to the rationalisation policy.
“We understand both BCM and Amathole are facing a similar problem regarding scholar transportation. Unfortunately they did not inform us of these new changes ...
“We’ve had complaints by transport operators that they arrive at a certain location only to find out that there aren’t any pupils at the pickup point,” said Rantjie.
Rantjie told the Dispatch that they had undergone a verification process to check that beneficiaries were receiving transport.
She predicted it would take three months to implement a cohesive scholar transportation plan.
“Depending on the information we gather, we will have to change some routes. And it could require more money depending if the distance increases,” she said.
Somgadi said they were instructing all school principals to not sign scholar transportation lists until the crisis was resolved. The lists are signed every morning by principals after pupils have been dropped off.
The lists are sent to the department of education and then to the transport department for processing.
Efforts to contact provincial department spokesman Loyiso Pulumani were unsuccessful. — mandilakhek@dispatch.co.za
Parents protest as pupils stranded
Parents from Kayser’s Beach, Mount Coke, Unit P and Mdantsane carried homemade posters demanding answers after promised scholar transport for their children failed to arrive when schools opened on Tuesday.
Parent Bonani Bhishini said he was frustrated at having to pay R500 a month for his child to travel 20km to Tsholomnqa from Kayser’s Beach and back daily.
He said they had been promised scholar transportation for three years.
“I support my child with a social grant and most of it goes to transport.
“The department of education have approved our school for transportation but we fail to understand what is halting the process because funds are available,” said Bhishini.
BCM Scholar Transportation Association chairman Sowana Somgadi said: “Numbers have dropped to 9635 from last year’s 11388 for pupils who are beneficiaries of scholar transport.” He blamed the department’s school rationalisation policy.
“They cannot say they do not have money and we want them to realise that their system is flawed. Children who travel long distances, who really deserve scholar transport, are not receiving it,” said Somgadi.
Eastern Cape department of transport spokeswoman Khuselwa Rantjie blamed the department of education for not informing them about beneficiaries who had been moved to other schools due to the rationalisation policy.
“We understand both BCM and Amathole are facing a similar problem regarding scholar transportation. Unfortunately they did not inform us of these new changes ...
“We’ve had complaints by transport operators that they arrive at a certain location only to find out that there aren’t any pupils at the pickup point,” said Rantjie.
Rantjie told the Dispatch that they had undergone a verification process to check that beneficiaries were receiving transport.
She predicted it would take three months to implement a cohesive scholar transportation plan.
“Depending on the information we gather, we will have to change some routes. And it could require more money depending if the distance increases,” she said.
Somgadi said they were instructing all school principals to not sign scholar transportation lists until the crisis was resolved. The lists are signed every morning by principals after pupils have been dropped off.
The lists are sent to the department of education and then to the transport department for processing.
Efforts to contact provincial department spokesman Loyiso Pulumani were unsuccessful. — mandilakhek@dispatch.co.za
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