The Department of Transport has finalised the National Learner Transport Policy which was approved by Cabinet in 2015. The objective of the policy is to ensure the provision of a safe and reliable transport service that caters for
the needs of learners. The policies applicable for the transportation of learners from Grade R to Grade 12, including learners with disabilities as defined by the SA School Act of 1996. The Department of Transport is aware of the challenges regarding the coverage of learner transport in the province. Among others, the policy provides that the provincial Department of Education shall be responsible for the selection of learners to benefit from the subsidised learner transport service. The criteria shall not discriminate against gender and race and will not deny access to learners from disadvantaged communities. Principals after consultation with the school governing bodies must identify learner transport beneficiaries in line with the following criteria: beneficiaries for subsidised learner transport must be a needy learner from Grade R to Grade 12 as prescribed; learner transport must be to the nearest appropriate school; parental choice of schools must not be subsidised; parental choice refers to when parents preferred to enrol their children at schools other than the nearest suitable school; priority must be given to learners with disabilities; and the inclusion of the learner into the subsidised service scheme must take into account existing learner transport services.
The provincial department in KwaZulu-Natal has developed its policy to manage the implementation of the learner transport programme in the province. The policy provides that the identification of beneficiaries for dedicated holy subsidised transport is the responsibility of both the Department of the Education and the Department of Transport. The following criteria are defined in the policy: beneficiaries must be learners from Grade R to 12; the distance travelled must be more than three kilometers; learner transport must be to the nearest appropriate school; and parent choice must not be dedicated subsidised transport. The province has identified the total number of 176 000 learners in 1082 schools who qualified for learner transport in 2019-20 financial year. However, the province plans to transport 58 908 learners in 326 schools which represent only 33% of the total need. Thank you, Chair.
IsiZulu: