KZN school transport gets a boost

A percentage of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) learners no longer have to struggle to get access to education. The KZN Department of Transport has allocated R186 million for scholar transport during the 2016/17 financial year.

This will benefit more than 45 000 learners attending over 300 schools throughout the province.

Speaking to Vuk’uzenzele, MEC for Transport Mxolisi Kaunda said this still falls short of meeting the demand for scholar transport, which is provided to needy and mostly rural-based learners travelling more than three kilometres to their
nearest schools.

“For the province to cover its priority-need learners, it would require an estimated R50 billion budget – a far cry from the current R186 million. However, government has also provided 12 305 bicycles to needy learners over the past five years, and will be distributing a further 15 000 bicycles in the next five years,” said MEC Kaunda.

Education MEC Mthandeni Dlungwane said government would continue to provide scholar transport as it forms part of government’s key priority of access to education. 

 The total number of schools that will benefit from the learner transport programme is 320 and the total number of learners is 46 051. Grade 12 learner Lungisile Mzoneli said she is happy about the transport that government has provided.

“Before this transport programme, we were using public transport. If there was a taxi strike, we would miss school but with this transport programme, we are
always on time for school,” she said.

The total number of schools that will benefit from the learner transport programme: