Getting kids to school safely

A researcher for a Church body has uncovered the obstacles that delayed the legislation to protect children on their way to and from school, as CLAIRE MATHIESON reports.

Media reports have focussed lately on the poor and dangerous transportation children are forced to use to get to school.

Kenny Pasensie, a researcher at the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office (CPLO), has uncovered the obstacles and challenges that have delayed the legislation that would help protect children on their way to and from school.

He said various studies have been conducted over the past eight years and all suggested “that the ability of scholars to access education is hampered by the long distances involved, threats to their safety, and the costs of scholar transport”.

While role players from the Department of Transport and Department of Basic Education have been involved in compiling the National Scholar Transport policy, in the two years it has been under review “the same tragic story plays itself out across the land—school children either crammed like sardines into an unroadworthy taxi or the majority of them walking [vast distances] to school,” said Mr Pasensie.

In the first ever National Household Transport Survey (NHTS), conducted in 2003, it was found that about 76% of scholars walk to school, many of them for more than one hour a day. Mr Pasensie said most these learners live in the rural areas and 25% of these “walkers” are in primary school.

The same survey revealed that the preferred mode of transport is very different in metropolitan, urban and rural areas. Although walking and cycling are the main modes of travel in all areas, in  metropolitan areas about a quarter of learners use public transport, and about 19% use private vehicles.

“For many who don’t walk to school, taxis are the preferred choice, despite the fact that on average travelling by taxi costs more than travelling by bus or train: R160 per month, compared to R123 (bus) and R121 (train) respectively,” said Mr Pasensie.

Reasons provided by pupils for travelling by taxi include the long distances between homes and stations, availability and reliability, and crime.

Mr Pasensie said while various legislations regarding transport are already in place, there is no policy that specifically regulates the transport of learners.

There are also no national norms for the contracting of transport service providers; no uniform funding model; and the function of scholar transport provisioning falls under either the Provincial Department of Transport or the Provincial Department of Basic Education, depending on which province one is in.

Mr Pasensie said this was further problematic in the drafting of a national policy.

Furthermore, in 2006 the Department of Education found that provincial budgets for the provision of scholar transport ranged between R1 million and R107 million, benefiting only 193250 learners.

“The lack of a uniform policy—which includes funding and procurement—has led to serious cost overruns in the contracting of scholar transport services and to allegations of tender corruption and nepotism in awarding transport tenders,” Mr Pasensie said.

“For example, in Mpumalanga the cost of contracting bus services rose from R10 million in 2002 to R268 million in 2008, yet the service levels declined dramatically,” he said, citing yet another hindrance in the policy making.

The draft policy currently being drawn up aims to develop a uniform national scholar transport policy framework, to ensure transport as a catalyst for education through access to schools, to promote non-motorised transport in safe and secure circumstances, to ensure the provision of safe and secure scholar transport services as well as monitoring and evaluating the transport services and provision of infrastructure.

“So, for example, the policy would ensure that all transport operators who provide a service to scholars are licensed with the Department of Transport’s Licence Boards; and only specified and policy-defined modes of transport will be considered as safe for transporting scholars.

“Also, provincial departments must work closely with local government authorities to ensure that scholar transport providers comply with the safety measures legislated by the Department of Transport, including adhering to speed limits and ensuring that all passengers are seated, irrespective of the transport mode used,” explained Mr Pasensie.

However, the biggest challenge to the implementation of the policy will be the lack of synergy between the Departments of Basic Education and of Transport.

Mr Pasesensie said another major problem was the funding mechanism employed by the provinces when budgeting for scholar transport provisioning.

“For example, in KwaZulu-Natal each scholar’s transport subsidy amounts to R1,40 per kilometre per year, whereas the Eastern Cape budgets an average of R17 per kilometre travelled and Limpopo 70c per kilometre per child, per day!”

Mr Pasensie said there was strong desire from the parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport and education role players to implement a scholar transport plan.

“Parents cannot hold their collective breaths worrying about the safety of their children as they set out for school every day. They have the right to expect that their children will arrive safely, according to a clear and properly implemented policy,” said Mr Pasensie.

Civil society bodies such as the CPLO will continue to review the progress made on the matter of scholar transportation to ensure public pressure is noted by the departments responsible for a hastier approach to the implementation of the policy.