Education
With regard to the application by the School Governing Body of the Emil Weder Secondary School for the extension of route 315 in Grabouw:
(1)What is the (a) current status of the route and (b) number of learners who are transported;
(2)whether her Department has received a reapplication for the extension of the route for 2021; if so, what are the relevant details;
(3)whether all other schools have to reapply for the extension of routes on a short-term basis; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(4) what are the plans to extend the route beyond December 2020 and in 2021 if the application for extension is granted?
(1) 135 learners are currently being transported on route 315 over a return distance of 115 km from the areas Hammansdal, Middelplaas, Klein Ezeljacht, Spinlea, Uitkyk, Spes Bona, Ongegund, Sunnyside, Uitvulg/ Elandskloof/ Rustic Gate, Meerlustkloof, Amanzi, Bereaville and Voorstekraal to Emil Weder Secondary School in Genadendal.
(2) The Department received a re-application for the extension of route 315 for 2021 on 6 November 2020. The details of the application are currently being quality assured for correctness, thereafter it will be presented at a Bus Committee meeting for recommendation.
(3) The Department incurred significant capital expenditure to build a school hostel which can house 190 learners and currently houses only 50 learners. Given the capital investment, the Department is obliged to use the hostel fruitfully. In the above instance, the learner transport route extension is 101 kilometres (return distance per day) and should the learners for whom the route should be extended are placed in the hostel, the return distance of the route would revert to a return distance of 14 kilometres.
Any other school in the same or similar situation, would have had to re-apply from time to time so that it can be considered whether it will still be necessary to extend the route instead of placing the learners in the school hostel.
(4) If it is found through written District motivations that the hostel conditions are currently not favourable for the learners to be housed at the hostel, the Bus Committee may decide to recommend the further extension of the route on a short-term basis. However, should there be no unfavourable conditions that prevent the placement of learners at the hostel, it is expected that the Bus Committee will recommend that the learners should be placed in the hostel.
