The Eastern Cape Executive Council (EXCO) has considered and approved the request for

interim budget relief of R90 370 million to enable the Department of Transport to provide

scholar transport services to learners for the current academic year, including the payment of

accruals amounting to just over R11 million.

The additional budget brings to over R1 billion the provincial government s investment on this

programme which is aimed at improving access to education for thousands of learners mainly

in rural poor communities.

The Executive Council noted the challenges arising from the Scholar Transport Programme

due in the main to the budgetary constraints which have led to the disruption of the service in

various parts of the Eastern Cape.

Additionally, the EXCO provisionally approved the extension of the service from 90 917 to 103

000 learners. It is envisaged that the additional budget will require reprioritisation across the

provincial administration.

The approved budget will ensure that the program remains operational and adequately funded,

enabling continued access to education for thousands of learners depending on this service.

The EXCO further directed the Departments of Transport and Education, working together with

the Provincial Programmes Support Unit (PPSU) to identify sustainable funding models and

conduct cost-benefit analysis of placing learners that travel more than 40km daily in hostels.

Further to this, EXCO noted and approved the use of a new software application which will

form part of the monitoring of the service going forward.

The electronic Learner Transport Management Support (LTMS) is part of streamlining and

modernising the scholar transport business processes as well as to address previously

identified control deficiencies. The app will record collected at each pick-up point, on the routes

allocated, allowing the journey to be tracked and the relevant information stored, assisting

ultimately, with proof of delivery and accurate payment of the drivers.

Government continues to unlock the bottlenecks around this crucial task; of ensuring that every

deserving child in the Eastern Cape has access to the scholar transport service and that their

schooling programme is not disrupted.