Providing school transport to children living closer than 5 km from their schools, would have massive budgetary ramifications for the provincial education department.
This, according to education spokesperson Bronagh Hammond responding to an article in TygerBurger last week.
The article centres around 13 children from the impoverished community of Goliath Estate in Kraaifontein who have to walk the 4.5 km to schools on the other side of the N1 come rain or shine, after the education department stopped school transport about two years ago.
During the winter times, many of these children, due to weather conditions did not attend school as their parents cannot afford taxi fees.
The children were also denied placement at the over-subscribed nearby schools of Monument Park, Fanie Theron and Aristea, and could only find placement in schools in Scottsville and Scottsdene.
“The education department spent approximately R456 million on school transport last year. Opening it up for ‘the sake of 500m’ – would require us to open it up for the ‘sake of 500m’ for everyone living within 4.5 km to their schools. Then the argument could be the same ‘for the sake of 200 m’ for those living within 4.3 km and one could go on and on. A cut-off point has to be taken somewhere, and 5 km is already a massive budget allocation that we have barely been able to afford these past years, however, have been determined to not make the cut-off even further to reduce this budget,” says Hammond.
She adds that the department cannot force learners into a specific school.
“That is against the SA schools act. SGBs determine the admission policy of each specific school – not us. So its not as simple as just placing them at their closest school.”
School transport has since been funded by local charities in partnership with the private sector.
