A missed opportunity - JTA president chides Government for not introducing school bus system for CXC students
Published:Wednesday | July 1, 2020 | 12:11 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
Western Bureau:
Owen Speid, president of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA), is accusing the Government of failing to capitalise on a clear chance to introduce a national school bus system when schools were reopened on June 8 for students taking Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) exams.
Addressing a Zoom online conference held by the JTA’s St James parish chapter on Monday, Speid said the school bus system could have been provided for teachers in a similar manner to how buses have been supplied for public-sector workers.
“With the reopening of schools on June 8, I think that the Government has missed a glorious opportunity to implement a school bus system, even in the urban centres. Similar to how they have the public-sector workers being allocated a bus, there should be a school bus system for our teachers, and I would love it to be extended right across Jamaica,” Speid told the meeting.
The JTA president said that consideration for such a system should especially have been given at a time when concerns have been raised about preventing the spread of COVID-19, including on public transportation. He suggested that the system could be introduced on a trial basis in order to work any kinks out of the arrangement.
“Even if they implemented an experimental school bus system during the period when the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination students alone would have been out, I think that was something that the Government should have implemented, especially in a time of pandemic,” said Speid.
trial run
“If they had implemented a kind of trial run, on a scaled-down basis, then they could re-evaluate it after. Our teachers could ride on those buses, and right now I could tell you of some of the [possible] routes,” added Speid.
In 2016, the National Parent-Teacher Association of Jamaica called for the Government to partner with parents who operate public passenger vehicles in order to develop a national school bus system. That call was made in the wake of a bus shooting in Montego Bay, St James, on September 20 that year, when gunmen shot up a bus carrying schoolchildren, killing the driver and injuring two Maldon High School students.
However, to date, no such bus system has been provided for the education sector.
In contrast, last October it was announced that the Cabinet had approved the awarding of a contract to Magna Motors Dealership Limited for the supply and delivery of three 50-seater buses for the Government Employees Transportation Service fleet. The buses were valued at $105.3 million.