Eastern Cape Education Department hands over eight minibuses to special needs schools to improve learner safety and ease transport challenges. Image credit: Eastern Cape Education Department
(The Post News)- The Eastern Cape Education Department has donated eight minibuses to special needs schools as part of efforts to create an inclusive education system in the province.
The minibuses will be used to transport learners daily. Currently, there are 45 special needs schools in the Eastern Cape, and 41 have received transport support from the department since 2021. According to the department, the minibuses are one of several measures aimed at protecting learners from the dangers associated with public transport.
The donation comes after parents complained to the department about lack of facilities and transport for their children.
Education MEC Fundile Gade, speaking to the SABC, said the initiative also aims to address the challenges caused by a shortage of housing hostels for special needs learners. He added that allowing special needs learners to use public transport puts their lives at risk.
“One needs to understand the risks of using public transport for special needs learners—there is taxi violence at times and a high level of crime associated with that,” Gade said.
He emphasized the value of these learners, stating,
“Their lives are equally important as everyone else’s, so we needed to give proper meaning and understanding to that,” said Gade.
Overjoyed parents welcomed the donation, saying it would bring financial relief as they will no longer have to pay high transport fees.
One parent said the new transport would help protect their children from harsh weather conditions, like rain, which they previously endured due to transport shortages.
Another parent noted that the old taxis used to transport their children were often in poor condition, sometimes forcing the children to stay home due to breakdowns.
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