Scholar transport disputes deprive learners of valuable learning and teaching time

3 May 2022

Thousands of learners in Midvaal and Emfuleni have been denied access to everyday learning and teaching due to an ongoing dispute between the old and the newly appointed scholar transport service providers.

This is unacceptable, as learners will continue to miss out on the much-needed everyday schooling.

The DA has been inundated with calls, SMSs, and emails from parents whose children have been affected by this dispute which has resulted in a scholar transport strike.

Many learners have been severely impacted as their parents cannot afford to pay for alternative transport while some are now forced to walk vast distances to and from school.

In many cases, they are also missing school because of the department’s failure to urgently intervene and ensure that this essential service is not disrupted.

This is worrying as learners across the province have lost out on valuable education time due to rotational learning and teaching and they will continue to miss schooling due to this scholar transport dispute.

The DA will engage with the Gauteng MEC for Education, Panyaza Lesufi to seek his department’s immediate intervention to ensure that learners in Midvaal and Emfuleni have access to uninterrupted scholar transport.

Delays by the department to solve this scholar transport dispute are denying these learners their basic right to education and potentially robbing them of future opportunities.

We will not allow such disputes to deprive our children of access to learning and teaching.

Issued by Khume Ramulifho, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education, 3 May 2022