E Cape Schooling fingers over eight minibuses to particular wants faculties – SABC Information

In an effort to create an inclusive education system in the Eastern Cape, the Department of Education has provided eight minibuses to special needs schools in the province.

The department says the buses will be used for daily transport for the learners.

The Eastern Cape has 45 schools for learners with special needs, and the department has sponsored 41 with minibuses since 2021. This donation is also meant to protect learners from the dangers associated with public transport.

MEC Fundile Gade says this is aimed at mitigating the challenges associated with having limited hostels for learners with special needs. “Once you allow them to be part of the passengers of the public transport system, you are running their lives at risk, understanding the taxi violence at times, the crime that is there at times. So, their lives are equally important as everyone else, so we needed to give that proper understanding and proper meaning to that.”

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The donation has been warmly welcomed by parents, who say this will be a financial relief to them.

“This will help us bhuti, because when it rains, our children are exposed to rain because there is a shortage of transport. It goes to another village to school and then comes back to fetch others. In the meantime, those who are waiting are exposed to rain and all sorts of things, so this will help us,” a parent comments.

“This donation will help a lot because the vehicles that were used are from 2010, we were having problems with them, they needed to be repaired, children would stay at home, even the R400 we used to pay to assist monthly was not helping. We are happy for the donation,” says another parent.

The department says this initiative will also alleviate pressure on the scholar transport system in the province.