In a major court victory, 91 Peddie children will, within the next few days, be provided with transport to and from school.
Several Peddie school governing bodies and education development project Khula Community Development Project in February launched an urgent court application against the education department in a bid to force it to provide scholar transport to 91 pupils.
On Thursday, the department agreed to an order of court compelling it to do so.
The Legal Resources Centre, which is acting for the Khula Community Development Project and concerned parents at Tyityaba, Nathanial Pamla and Sakhingomso primary schools and July Secondary School, wanted the department to meet its obligation to provide scholar transport to the children.
It said the right to scholar transport is inextricably connected to the unqualified right to a basic education. Access to education relies on children being able to get to school.
While the LRC brought the application for urgent relief for the 91 children, it is also asking the court to provide longer- term relief for all children who qualify but cannot access scholar transport because of systemic problems in the department’s administration.
It wants the court to order the department to improve its transport systems.
The LRC on Thursday said in a statement that due to administrative chaos in the scholar transport system, thousands of pupils in the Eastern Cape still walked long round trips to and from school.
“The department acknowledged its constitutional obligations to provide scholar transport to qualifying learners and agreed to urgently provide transport to the 91 learners,” said attorney for the LRC Cameron McConnachie.
Director of the Khula Community Development Project Petros Majola said on Thursday subsidised scholar transport would make a huge difference in the lives of the 91 children.
“They can now enjoy their right to education without their parents spending scarce funds to pay for private transport,” Majola said...