Unpaid invoices disrupt Gauteng scholar transport and attendance

JMPD officials inspect scholar transport vehicles in Diepsloot. Picture for illustration: Supplied Some Gauteng schools experienced low attendance on Monday after scholar transport service providers halted operations over unpaid invoices. The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has recommended that the province’s schools use appropriate academic recovery measures to keep teaching and learning on track.

This comes as the GDE scholar transport programme is experiencing challenges, with some service providers suspending services over outstanding payments. Change:s some service providers suspend services over outstanding payments. On Monday, the halted services affected pupils and led to low attendance at some schools.

“The department has been actively engaging with scholar transport service providers to address outstanding payments. Subsequently, the GDE emphasised its commitment to fulfilling payments of outstanding invoices,” the department said. The GDE added that, as it works within “available financial processes” to finalise payments, the department appealed to service providers to provide all the pupils under the programme with continuous, uninterrupted transportation.

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Gauteng education MEC Matome Chiloane encouraged stakeholders to always engage with the department on issues they face within the sector. “Indeed, safety, access, and well-being of learners remain a priority. We will continue to engage all affected stakeholders and resolve the impasse, and we are confident that these engagements and commitments will enable operators to resume services,” Chiloane said. “We remain committed to collaboration and constructive engagements with our stakeholders in resolving any matters that may arise.”

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