By Buziwe Nocuze
Parents of learners at the Nompumelelo Special School in Gugulethu, Cape Town, have accused bus assistants of neglecting their children.
The school offers specialised tuition to learners with intellectual disabilities.
Scrolla.Africa spoke to several parents at the school, who all raised the same concerns.
One parent, speaking anonymously, wants the provincial Education Department to raise their complaints with the bus assistants.
“Their job is to monitor our kids as soon as they get inside the bus, but they are not doing that,” said the parent. “They sit at the front of the bus even though they are supposed to sit at the back and front so that they can monitor our kids.
“They were hired to ensure all the kids are seated before the bus leaves. The bus picks our kids up at their houses in the morning and drops them off in the afternoon. Some fall while the bus is moving, and no one is there to guide or stop them. They must do their job and stop enjoying the ride.”
Western Cape Education Department spokesperson Millicent Merton said the school has not received any complaints from parents about the assistants on the buses.
“All the buses have an incident book, and the assistants are expected to note any concern that may arise while on the bus; this could relate to injuries, learners falling, etc,” said Merton.
She said one assistant sits at the front of the bus and one at the back of the bus.
“The purpose is to monitor the learners and assist them in getting on and off the bus. They also hand the learners over to the parent/guardian when they exit the bus,” said Merton.
She said the school would need more information to investigate the parents’ concerns as they have more than one bus operating.
“The parent would need to provide the name of the driver and assistants to fully address this concern,” said Merton.
Pictured above: Nompumelelo Special School bus assistants have been accused of neglecting learners.
Image source: Supplied
