Upload
googlingsa2
View
225
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
8/8/2019 Learner Transport
1/18
LEARNER TRANSPORT WHO IS RESPONSIBLE
(FINANCIALLY AND SOCIALLY) : AN INDUSTRY VIEW)
MR CHAIRMAN, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN
1. INTRODUCTION
Numerous issues impinge upon the provision of transport for
learners In South Africa. For purposes of my presentation, I
have identified four main areas which need to be addressed.
These areas are as follows:
1.1 Overall responsibility and accountability for determining a
policy for learner transport
1.2 The question of whether financial assistance should be
provided for transporting learners to and from school and,
if so, what criteria should govern the rendering of such
assistance.
1.3 The manner and cost effectiveness in which learner
transport is provided.
1.4 Other issues affecting learner transport.
1
8/8/2019 Learner Transport
2/18
Before addressing these four areas, it is necessary to first
provide some background on learner transport and the manner
it was dealt with prior to and since the establishment of the
democratic dispensation in South Africa in 1994.
2. BACKGROUND
The transportation of learners has been a controversial issue
for many years. In the previous dispensation thirteen separate
education departments existed for different population groups,
each with its own policy for the transportation of learners. On
the one hand, the general view of these education authorities
was that they had no statutory obligation to transport learners to
and from school whilst on the other hand the Department of
Transport advised that in terms of the Road Transportation Act
(Act 74 of 1977), learner transport was not defined as public
transport and therefore they too did not have any statutory
obligation towards learner transport. As a result of this
fragmented approach and the unwillingness of the government
of the day to accept its responsibility for learner transport many
2
8/8/2019 Learner Transport
3/18
children were deprived of the opportunity to receive an
education.
After the election of the Government of National Unity in 1994,
SABOA increased its efforts in an attempt to address learner
transport. The following are some of the results of actions
which were introduced by SABOA:
Through SABOAs efforts an Interdepartmental Committee on
learner transport was established in 1995 between the
Department of Transport and of Education to investigate the
subsidisation of learners. Unfortunately, after Minister
Maharajs retirement, the initiative lost momentum.
Through SABOAs interaction with the Department of Education
an amount of R50 million was allocated to provincial
departments of education for learner transport in the 1996/97
financial year. In the majority of cases, the allocated funds
were however not used for learner transport.
The National Land Transport Transition Act (Act 22 of 2000)
recognises learner transport as a public transport service for
3
8/8/2019 Learner Transport
4/18
which an Operating Licence is required. This became a legal
requirement from 1 July 2001.
A number of measures have also been introduced by
government which emphasise the higher priority that is given to
education:
The Bill of Rights in the RSA Constitution addresses
education, inter alia, as follows:
Everyone has the right -
(a) to a basic education, including adult basic education
; and
(b) to further education, which the state, through
reasonable measures, must make
progressively available and accessible.
The South African Schools Act (Act 84 of 1996) provides
for compulsory attendance of learners between the ages of seven
and fifteen years.
A number of Back to School campaigns were introduced
since 1994 to encourage children to attend school in larger numbers.
4
8/8/2019 Learner Transport
5/18
SABOA fully supports the greater emphasis which government
has placed on the provision of quality education for learners
although it created operational and financial difficulties for the
industry. These difficulties mainly relate to the fact that learners
have to be transported in the morning peak when commuters
are being transported and the fact that they are being
transported at a reduced rate.
3. OVERALL RESPONSIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR
DETERMINING A POLICY FOR LEARNER TRANSPORT
Mr Chairman, the first question which must be addressed
regarding learner transport is that of overall responsibility and
accountability i.e whether it is a Department of Education or
Department of Transport function. It is also necessary to
consider the relative roles of national and provincial
departments of education and of transport in providing or
arranging learner transport.
Important implications of this question concern financial
responsibility and political accountability. As a first step
government needs to acknowledge and accept the
5
8/8/2019 Learner Transport
6/18
responsibility for learner transport in South Africa and decide
whether the provision and funding of learner transport should
make claims on education funds or on transport funds and
which department is answerable to the public.
In South Africa with its recent history of apartheid there is little
doubt that for years to come, government will have to play a
leading role in terms of the funding of public transport in general
and learner transport in particular.
SABOA is aware of the fact that the Department of Education
has appointed consultants to compile a status quo report on
learner transport in all provinces and to make recommendations
to the Department of Education regarding guidelines for learner
transport.
SABOA fully supports this initiative and wishes to encourage
the Department of Education to conclude the research as soon
as possible. SABOA would also like to invite the Department of
Education to draw on the expertise of the industry to assist the
6
8/8/2019 Learner Transport
7/18
Department in developing policy guidelines for the learner
transport industry in South Africa.
4. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR LEARNER TRANSPORT
AND THE CRITERIA GOVERNING SUCH ASSISTANCE
The second area which needs to be addressed once
responsibility for learner transport has been established is
whether the Department of Education or Department of
Transport should contribute financially towards the cost of
transporting learners between home and school. The need to
consider this question mainly stems from the fact that
attendance at schools is compulsory for children between 7 and
15 years of age. Other factors that also play a role in this
regard are, inter alia, the following:
A subsidised learner transport system will ensure that the
mobility needs of learners are catered for.
A subsidised learner transport system will provide
opportunities to children who, for various reasons, are not attending
school to be able to attend school.
7
8/8/2019 Learner Transport
8/18
The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow. A
subsidised learner transport system will make a significant
contribution in developing such leaders.
Accessibility of the education system becomes
meaningless if children are not able to get to school. A subsidised
learner transport system will provide credibility to accessibility.
The safety of children in our society is a high priority for
government and through a subsidised learner transport system this
priority will be enhanced.
Promoting public transport is one of the focus areas of
governments public transport policy. Teaching children from a young
age to support public transport will go a long way in ensuring that
they continue to make use of public transport as adults.
In fulfilling the basic right of allowing all children in South Africa
equal access to quality education, government needs to decide
to what extent it is prepared to fund the transportation of
learners between home an school. The providing of financial
assistance in this regard can be guided by criteria falling into
two broad categories. Firstly, the circumstances of the journey
8
8/8/2019 Learner Transport
9/18
itself and secondly, the circumstances of the child who
undertakes the journey.
The most relevant criteria pertaining to the circumstances of the
journey are the distance of the journey to school and the safety
and difficulty of that journey.
Although not the only criterion, the distance traveled to school
is a very important factor. It should, however be applied with
circumspection as there could be charges of unfairness being
lodged by parents. For instance, parents whose children attend
the same school may live close to each other, but one family
may live just inside the distance from school required to receive
financial assistance whilst another family may live just beyond
the required distance and their child would thus not be entitled
to receive assistance. This situation could lead to resentment
amongst parents receiving no assistance.
The dangers, especially to small children, from traffic or from
assault on lonely journeys are factors which should be
9
8/8/2019 Learner Transport
10/18
seriously considered by government. The volume and speed of
traffic on the roads have increased enormously over the past
few years. In rural areas children walk long distances to school
and in many instances they have to cross main roads, whilst in
urban areas traffic hazards are much worse.
Conditions of the journey for walking to school is another factor
to be assessed by government. Sometimes the route to and
from school may involve more arduous walking than might be
reasonably expected, especially of young children. For
instance in rural areas children may have to climb steep hills,
cross uneven terrain or be severely exposed to dangerous
weather conditions.
Criteria to be taken into account when considering the
circumstances of the child include, inter alia, the health of the
child, physical and mental condition of the child, and the
financial circumstances of the parents.
10
8/8/2019 Learner Transport
11/18
Other factors which should be considered in relation to the
journey to be covered include the childs age, physical size,
maturity, experience in coping with traffic and the feasibility of
the child being accompanied to and from school.
Rapidly increasing costs of transport can give rise to substantial
burdens on families, especially when there are several children
of school going age in the family and when other costs
associated with attending school are considered. The financial
circumstances of learners parents should thus be a criterion in
assessing the need for financial assistance with the provision of
transport.
Mr Chairman, some of the criteria I mentioned, lend
themselves more readily to precise assessment than others.
The criterion of distance is easily and objectively measurable
and could be used by government as a means for deciding
whether to assist learners with their transport to and from
school. The financial circumstances of families are also
objectively measurable. Safety, a aspect which often gives rise
11
8/8/2019 Learner Transport
12/18
to parents greatest anxieties, depends on aspects such as the
childs age and experience with traffic, the journey (flow and
type of traffic and availability of pedestrian facilities) and the
childs family (the parents ability to accompany the child or to
pay for a safe form of transport). The latter criterion is not easy
to measure. Furthermore, where there is a road hazard close to
a school and a safe route over the rest of the journey to a
childs home, it would be difficult to reach judgement on the
safety of the journey as a whole. It is evident, therefore, that
safety often bears no relation to the distance of the journey.
5. COST EFFECTIVE PROVISION OF LEARNER TRANSPORT
The third aspect to be considered in the formulation of a policy
for learner transport (i.e after the responsibility for and the
nature and criteria governing any assistance for learner
transport have been resolved) is that of the provision of any
requested transport in a cost effective manner. The two main
issues which require attention in this area are the options
available with regard to the physical provision of transport and
12
8/8/2019 Learner Transport
13/18
the method to use in allocating and administering any financial
assistance (i.e subsidy).
With regard to the physical provision of transport, government
could consider a number of options. Firstly, it should examine
the existing public transport network in order to ascertain
whether or not a request for learner transport can be
accommodated through the use of existing public transport
services.
This step should include liaison with local transport
undertakings to establish whether services could be adjusted in
any way, at little or no extra cost, in order to fulfill a request for
learner transport.
As a second step, if existing public transport services cannot
accommodate a request for learner transport, government can
consider entering into a contract with an undertaking to
provide the necessary transport. Such contracts are normally
secured by issuing a tender notice for the service to be
provided. The education authority can then decide which
13
8/8/2019 Learner Transport
14/18
tender to accept on the grounds it considers most important
(usually cost, safety and reliability).
Our experience of the contract system that is currently being
used by, for instance, the Gauteng Department of Education is
that it is not a price tender. The rate of remuneration for the
service rendered is fixed at, say, 20 cents per learner per
kilometer. The purpose of the tender which has been issued is
merely to select the operator in terms of a preference points
system.
One of the disadvantages of applying a fixed rate in a tender is
that it could be either too low or too high. If the rate is
inadequate, it could have a major impact on the operators
ability to render an efficient, safe and reliable service. This is
currently the position in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and the
Western Cape and we wish to appeal to these provincial
education authorities to ensure that the rate that is being paid to
operators, is in fact a rate that will enable operators to render
an efficient, safe and reliable service. If, on the other hand, an
14
8/8/2019 Learner Transport
15/18
unrealistic high rate is paid, it means that less funds will be
available to subsidise learner transport in general. It is,
therefore, essential that the rate is set at the right level.
Mr Chairman, SABOA would like to invite the education
authorities to call on SABOA for any assistance they may need
in this regard.
6. OTHER POLICY AFFECTING SCHOLAR TRANSPORT
When devising a policy for learner transport, it is also
necessary to examine other policy issues affecting both
education and transport and their relationship with each other.
With regard to education, issues worthy of attention are the
sitting of schools, zoning versus parental choice of school and
the fixing of school hours.
The sitting of new schools clearly has a very important effect on
the need for learner transport and it is an area where education
considerations may come into conflict with the efficient use of
transport resources. It is thus necessary to evaluate the
transport implications with regard to the sitting of new schools
15
8/8/2019 Learner Transport
16/18
particularly in rural areas, where catchment areas may be wider
than in urban areas and where the availability of public
transport is often less.
Parental choice of school is also an issue which impacts on
learner transport. The reality is that parents are not always
sending their children to the nearest school. Some parents
have chosen to move their children from their local school to a
school in another area because of, inter alia, unrest, subject
choices, better trained teachers etc. There will have to be a
policy decision from government as to how to deal with this
reality in a subsidy scenario.
A final education issue which is important with regard to learner
transport is that of the fixing of school hours. This is essentially
a transport related issue but one that depends almost entirely
on the decision of education authorities. A slight adjustment, to
the starting and finishing times of some schools could reduce
the number of buses needed to cope with the required demand.
This is particularly true of school starting times in urban areas
16
8/8/2019 Learner Transport
17/18
which often coincide with the commuter demand for public
transport in the morning peak. Possibilities with regard to the
staggering of school hours should obviously be explored by
government.
7. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Mr Chairman, the problems encountered with learner transport
as outlined in my presentation, are the result of a lack of a
coherent national policy for this sector. These problems and
the growth in the numbers of children attending school require
that a workable and acceptable national policy be devised.
Such a policy should ideally encompass all parts of South
Africa.
Having identified some of the main difficulties associated with
learner transport, SABOA wishes to propose the following to
government:
1) To accept its financial and social responsibility for learner
transport and to allocate the responsibility and
accountability to either the Department of Education or
Department of Transport.
17
8/8/2019 Learner Transport
18/18
2) To decide whether financial assistance should be given in
transporting learners to and from school and if so, to draft
a national policy for learner transport which can be used
by provinces.
3) To involve the industry in the policy formulation process.
I thank you.
Mr Eric Cornelius Speech Scholar Transport
LN: Erics speech on scholar transport
18