More than 80 schoolchildren in farming communities around Enon and Bersheba in Eastern Cape, South Africa, have been forced to hitchhike daily to attend school after the suspension of scholar transport services at the start of the academic year.
Learners travelling to Moses Mabida Secondary School, located about 15 kilometres away, gather each morning at an informal roadside stop hoping passing vehicles will offer them rides. According to the learners, only a few can be accommodated at a time, leaving many stranded or arriving late to school.
Grade 10 learner Aqhama Mila said the absence of transport has made schooling increasingly difficult. She explained that she wakes as early as 5am to reach the hitchhiking point by 6am, but often misses the first lesson or finds the school gate already closed when she eventually arrives.
Parents in the community say they cannot afford private transport, which costs about R650 per learner. One parent, Mzuvukile Mooi, said most families depend on casual labour and government child support grants, making it impossible to pay for daily transport while also expressing concern about the dangers children face on the road.
Ward councillor Nelisa Ncambele said scholar transport has long been a challenge in farming areas and sometimes assists learners by giving them lifts when possible. However, she noted that her vehicle can only carry a few pupils at a time.
School Governing Body chairperson Vuyiswa Fiyani said the Eastern Cape Department of Transport had previously provided a bus for learners from the farming communities. The service was later halted after a dispute among pupils resulted in damage to the vehicle, prompting the driver to stop transporting the children.
Provincial transport spokesperson Unathi Binqose acknowledged the problem, stating that more than 40,000 learners in the province qualify for scholar transport, but the department is struggling to meet the demand. He added that authorities are aware of the situation in the Sundays River Valley Municipality and are working to secure a new service provider after the previous operator withdrew following damage to the vehicle.
EduTimes Africa, a product of Education Times Africa, is a magazine publication that aims to lend its support to close the yawning gap in Africa's educational development.