During the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education briefing on 16 May 2023, Mr Ramasedi Mafoko, DBE Director responsible for Infrastructure and Learner Transport, indicated that the National Learner Transport Policy (NLTP) was approved by Cabinet in 2015. The Policy provides that national government oversees the implementation of the policy via a National Inter Departmental Committee on Learner Transport (NIDC).
A total of 67% of Learners with Special Education Needs (LSEN) are transported through the main stream programme and the balance are transported through programmes managed though LSEN units in provinces. In respect of subsidised transport to ordinary schools, the number of learners in need totals 875,985, with the number of learners served at 706,185 in 4,177 schools. For LSEN learners, the number of learners in need totals 43,182 with the number of learners served at 28,920 in 200 schools.
The NIDC has reported significant under reporting on the number of learners with disabilities transported in Limpopo, Northern Cape and the North-West Provinces. The Eastern Cape and KZN Provinces have the largest number of eligible learners who are not transported due to budget constraints. The DBE and DoT are intensifying efforts to address challenges identified through Provincial Oversight Visits.
The NLTP is currently under review for submission to HEDCOM and CEM during July / August 2023. The revised policy will be gazetted for public comment during September 2023 after which stakeholder input will be consolidated and the amended policy gazetted for implementation from April 2024. During their recent Monitoring and Oversight visits to various provinces, the Committee found out that challenges exist in respect of learner transport, mostly affecting Learners with Special Education Needs.
Major challenges that need to be addressed include: There is an urgent need for a decision on the location of the function. The Department of Transport is currently implementing the programme in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and the North-West Provinces, whilst Education is responsible for Gauteng; Western Cape, Limpopo, Free State and Northern Cape. Insufficient funding: Currently, the programme is funded through the equitable share allocation by provinces. There have been efforts, working with National Treasury, to establish a conditional grant to address underfunding challenges. A common standard (costing model) for learner transport specifications should be set to ensure the financial efficiency of the Programme. The DoT in consultation with the DBE is currently developing a Standard Cost Model for all the Provinces. Inefficiencies in the implementation of the programme. This includes the issue of parental schools of choice versus schools of need and providing dedicated resources to learner transport units. Finally, there is an urgent need to align learner transport programme with infrastructure programme to ensure efficient coordination between the two programmes and schools to be built where there are excessive learner transport pressures. It is important to address all these challenges in respect of learner transport, to ensure that no learner is left behind and is provided with access to quality education.