Government preparing to establish a dedicated school bus fleet.
During a media conference at the Ministry of Transport and Works’ temporary headquarters in The Goddard Building, Haggatt Hall, St Michael, Minister Kirk Humphrey said they wanted to create a safe travelling space for children, which parents would consider choosing over driving their children to school and adding to the traffic burden.
“I think we have to get to the point where we put in place a school bus service for children that is safe, that has cameras, and that people can trust. There’s going to be an RFP (Request for Proposal) going out very soon, as we continue conversations and consultations with the Ministry of Education, that allows us to bring in those buses and start a bus route specific for children to and from school,” he said.
However, Humphrey said the move was not just a traffic-easing measure, as it would include personnel trained in conflict resolution and CPR. He said there would be a disciplinary component as well, as they were not going to allow the buses to be vandalised.
“But what we have to ensure, more importantly, is that on those buses, the children have to exercise some discipline. We have cameras on the buses and the persons who work the buses, because there has to be a driver and another person on the bus, and those persons are trained up, way above and beyond the capacity of regular drivers and persons who work those vehicles, to make sure that we have no issues whatsoever on that bus,” he said.
Minister of Educational Transformation Chad Blackman said there were still too many examples of indiscipline among schoolchildren, with many not catching buses in the mornings. He said the new system was part of a wider push to increase discipline.
“One of the things that you’re also going to be seeing heavily focused throughout the theme this year of education is that word called discipline. And discipline doesn’t only mean there’s a consequence to your actions; it also means getting up on time, getting to school on time, wearing your uniform in the right and appropriate manner, and making sure your hair is tidy, whether you’re male or female,” he said. (CA)
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