Scholar Transport Funds Scrapped
B Mbinqo-Gigaba
The Western Cape Department of Education (WCED) has withdrawn subsidies earlier this month for scholar transport. This has led to a number of primary school children from Rosedale in Pacaltsdorp in George being left stranded without transport.
What is troubling about this cancellation of the subsidy, is that many parents are unemployed and are unable to afford money to send their children to school. They are all dependent on the scholar transport.
After the sudden cancellation, parents were then instructed to send their children to the nearest school with many of the children having just started the last quarter of the school year. Apart from that, many parents have been informed that the nearest schools are already full. Many of the children are currently at home due to this decision.
An appeal on the matter has been made to the Provincial Minister for Education and as the ANC, we urge that the subsidy should be immediately re-instated so that the children are not further educationally disadvantaged.
