“We had teachers and learning support assistants (LSAs) being given insturcions to provide transport supervision,” Executive Head of The Union of Professional Educators Graham Sansone told The Malta Independent
Contacted by this newspaper, Sansone made it clear that the union does not want a repeat of last year with regards to supervision.
“We had teachers and LSAs who were given instructions to provide transport supervision, and the system led to inconveniences.”
“They would be told the location of their pick-up point, which was sometimes outside of their locality, they would do their duty as supervisors, and then arrive at the school without their car.”
Supervision for the soon-to-be-tested school transport provided by the government is still in question. With the scholastic year upon us, the much-awaited state-funded school transport is to be put to the test.
Last February, the Education ministry released a white paper for consultation on school transport that would be provided for free to all school children in Malta. Research commissioned by the government showed that from 23,730 students currently using transport, the number was expected to increase by 14,200.
Permanent Secretary for Education Frank Fabri was quoted as saying that “supervision aboard the free school transport will be done voluntarily by teachers, and will be paid for by the government”.
Fast forward to August this newsroom was told that school operators had begun telephoning parents to inform them that they will be paying the school transport fee, with the government expected to refund the payment later in the year.
Education Minister Evarist Bartolo stressed on multiple occasions the complexity in efficiently implementing the service to non-state schools.
The free school transport agreement, which the government says will save parents some €700 a year, was signed earlier this month. Two contracts were signed - one for state schools and the other for Church and private schools. Operators are to be paid directly by the ministry, and as a result parents need not pay anything.
While news of the agreement was welcomed, especially after concerns that it a deal would not be struck in time for the start of the scholastic year, there was disappointment at the fact that plans to have supervisors on board the minibuses were shelved. In its electoral manifesto the Labour Party had not only promised free school transport, but also supervision.
At the signing of the deal last week, Minister Bartolo said that, instead of supervisors, students who use school transport will be monitored by an app that traces when a child gets on or off the transport van. Parents have complained that, while the app would let them know when their children board and alight their school bus, it could not act as a replacement for supervisors and, as such, ensure that no bullying took place.
Just this week, another 18 operators have joined the free school transport scheme, raising the total so far to 75. And, according to the latest statistics released by the government, 829 parents of non-state school children are still on the waiting list for school transport.
Although, the minister did announce that there will be supervision for kindergarten students of state schools gradually introduced this year.
As for the monitoring service, through which parents would be able to tell through a mobile application that their children have boarded or exited the bus, will the introduced by the end of the year for state schools. As for independent and church schools, it will start to be introduced by the beginning of 2019.