Staff Reporter
The Gauteng Education Department (GED) is in talks with public scholar transport operators to settle outstanding payments after some service providers halted operations on Monday, leaving learners stranded and contributing to low attendance at several schools.
The disruption comes just weeks after a fatal scholar transport crash in the Vaal area in mid-January, when a minibus transporting pupils collided with a truck near Vanderbijlpark, leaving 14 schoolchildren dead, and the driver of the minibus charged with murder.
The GDE said in a statement that it acknowledged the “challenges” currently affecting the GDE Scholar Transport Programme, which led to some providers stopping work on Monday.
The department said it was “actively engaging” with operators to address unpaid invoices.
“We appeal to service providers to provide a continuous, uninterrupted transportation of all learners under the programme as we work tirelessly within available financial processes to finalise payments accordingly,” the department said.
It advised schools to use appropriate academic recovery measures to ensure that teaching and learning remained on track until the matter was resolved.
“We remain committed to collaboration and constructive engagements with our stakeholders in resolving any matters that may arise. To this end, we encourage all our stakeholders to always engage with us on issues they face within the sector,” said Education MEC Matome Chiloane.
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