KZN slammed for poor school transpoort

Lobby group Equal Education has criticised the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government for wasting money on the State of the Province Address while it shows “callous neglect for scholar transport”.

In a statement issued on Wednesday‚ just hours before Premier Willies Mchunu was due to deliver the address in Pietermaritzburg‚ Equal Education said more had to be done to help pupils travel to and from school‚ particularly in rural parts of the province.

The statement title itself – “funds for pomp‚ ceremony and SUVs but not for scholar transport” – takes aim at Mchunu and the provincial transport department. Mchunu is a former transport MEC.

“Learners frequently traverse dangerous and treacherous terrain‚ as well as fall victim to violent crime on the way to school. Learners are arriving at school tired‚ hungry‚ and unable to focus. The woefully inadequate provision of scholar transport is an immense barrier to accessing education.

“The neglect that this crucial area suffers under the departments of education and transport is mind-boggling and cruel. Mchunu is driven around in an eye-wateringly expensive Mercedes SUV‚ the cost of which could fund up to nine buses of learners travelling to and from school each year‚” the statement read.

The organisation also criticised the provincial transport department for being inconsistent and lacking clarity in its own official reports‚ which “reveals how little regard is given to scholar transport”.

Equal Education has demanded that the province be given a conditional grant to urgently implement a proper scholar transport policy‚ and also that “clear‚ consistent and accurate” information be provided on how many pupils qualify for subsidised scholar transport‚ how many receive it‚ and the cost of providing such transport.