Lack Of Dedicated Transport ‘Leading To Lateness In Schools’

According to latest statistics, some 30 per cent of the student population is currently benefitting from the school bus services provided by the National Transport Authority (NTA).

The minister of Education and Human Resources, Dr Vasant Bunwaree is aware that transport for the secondary school students is indeed becoming a headache due to a shortage of dedicated school buses.

“The NTA is doing its best but providing more school buses inevitably will have an effect on the regular public transport system. School buses are overcrowded, with at times twice the number of students a bus can accommodate. This poses a problem of security in buses and of lateness in schools,” he said. The number of school buses to be supplied also depends on the arrangements made by the colleges. However, discussions are ongoing with the NTA to extend the bus service to a greater number of students.

The president of Union of Rectors and Deputy Rectors of State Secondary Schools, Soondress Sawmynaden underlined that the best solution to this problem is to change the system by cancelling the free bus travel for students.

“Parents should pay for their wards’ bus fares which should be later refunded by the government. It will also act as a deterrent to unnecessary lateness and absence,” he said.

Sawmynaden added that some students waste their time on the bus stations and the Brigade des Mineurs should be more vigilant.