By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
25 October 2024- The Chairperson of North West Legislature Portfolio Committee on Community Safety and Transport Management, Freddy Sonakile, together with the Chairperson of Portfolio Committee on Education, Priscilla Williams, conducted a joint oversight meeting, where the Department of Community Safety and Transport Management and the Department of Education, were called to account on the unacceptable state of scholar transport in the province.
This follows numerous complaints and a recent oversight conducted by the both committees, where they inspected the state of scholar transport operations in Dr Kenneth Kaunda District during Legislature oversight week.
Sonakile expressed deep dissatisfaction with the dismal manner on how the scholar transport is operated.
“The departments’ failure to provide scholar transport to learners who need is a deprivation of their right to education and must never be tolerated. The departments made presentations on the situation, where the Joint Committees issued firm recommendations, demanding immediate action.
“The department should conduct unannounced roadworthy tests for all scholar transport service providers between now and December throughout the province and must launch a full investigation into the possibility that some service providers fraudulently passed the verification process,” he said.
Sonakile further said a session with all unpaid service providers must be held within two weeks, and all outstanding payments must be fast-tracked where services have been rendered. He added that an electronic monitoring system must be in place and operational by January 2025.
“Non-compliant buses operating at Mampho Secondary, Kromellenboog Combined, Botoka Secondary, Resolofetse Secondary, Phakedi Primary, Letlhasedi Combined and Reabona Primary Schools, must be revoked immediately following the committee’s investigations, which revealed negligence and serious risks to learners’ safety.
“The committees also resolved that the Department of Education must commission an urgent study to locate the 9,045 learners, who are not part of the scholar transport across the province,” said Sonakile.
He said the study must include the affected schools, identify whether these learners are still attending or they have dropped out, and assess the full impact. Sonakile said they must also submit a detailed report on the 21 learners of Phakedi Primary School, who last attended school in March 2023 due to a lack of scholar transport after the previous service provider’s contract expired.
“Phakedi Primary School incident has been referred to the Human Rights Commission for investigation as the committee believes the situation constitutes a blatant violation of the learners’ right to education.
“Our recommendations are non-negotiable and will be strictly monitored for compliance. A comprehensive report on the findings must be compiled, and decisive consequences must be enforced,” he said.
Sonakile said they call for a zero-tolerance approach toward those who are putting children at risk. The rights of learners are non-negotiable and must be safeguarded at all costs.
The Guardian 