Whether school buses or zones?

Maurice D. Smith, Contributor

So once again we are at a crossroads regarding the issue of transportation for thousands of students who commute to school.

In April 2011, then Education Minister Andrew Holness and Minister of Finance Audley Shaw called for a structured transport system for students subsequent to a motor vehicle accident which claimed the lives of three youngsters.

Following a recent accident in his North East Manchester constituency, Member of Parliament Shaw repeated his call, and president of the Jamaica Association of Transport Owners and Operators adamantly insisted that drivers who refuse to observe the laws governing safety in the public transport sector should have their licences rescinded. I suspect that what is being conceptualised is the implementation of a school-bus system.

Each year in the United States, school buses make an estimated 10 billion trips, and every school day some half a million school buses transport 26 million children to and from school and school-related activities. School buses are either leased or purchased by school districts, and each costs approximately US$75,000 (J$6.45m). Some counties outsource the transportation service to private contractors; at least 40 per cent of school districts use contractors to handle student transportation, while in Canada, the use of private contractors is almost exclusive.

It is not to suggest that it is beyond us to operate an efficient Jamaican school-bus system, but I do have concerns which are perpetuated by the state of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company whose books continue to show the red light.

Examining logistics

How will a school-bus system be funded? Will it be state subsidised? What will be the impact on the livelihood of bus operators who ply those routes? How will routes be determined so as to achieve cost-effectiveness?

I am not an economist, nor do I pretend to be cognisant of all the machinations of public-sector entities and their effect on the public purse, so I cannot offer fulsome responses to these questions, but I do know about education and the systemic forces that impact its quality.

It is prudent that we recall that bussing began as a way of overcoming the effects of racial segregation in the pre-civil rights era in America. While our case may not be racially motivated, we certainly have an inequitable education system, especially at the secondary level, and bussing, though plausible, if not carefully thought through, could have far-reaching negative implications which will serve to only perpetuate the divide. Studies conducted in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Pakistan articulate invaluable findings which could help to chart the way forward.

Having a cost-effective, state-owned and -operated school-bus system could be dependent on whether or not we embark on zoning. Before I delve any deeper, let me hasten to say there are three critical issues.

First, every parent wants the best for his child. As an adult, I understand the desire to give one's child a fighting chance to make something of himself, and that is characteristic of most parents who desire to enrol their children in schools perceived as being high achievers.

Second, transportation flow, and not just proximity, should be considered when determining school placement. As a former principal, I can recount several instances when students were placed at schools that, on a map, appear to be geographically close to home but, in reality, could only be accessed via three bus rides. Hence students would spend up to two hours travelling to school in the mornings.

Third, all schools do not offer a similar quality of education, given the internal and external organisational factors with which they must contend. As a former education-ministry technocrat, I am aware that some of my colleagues chose to otherwise opine despite data (quantitative and qualitative) indicating the obvious reality. These three aforementioned matters ought not to be ignored in any discussion on school zoning.

Reconsidering zoning

Zoning is a policy initiative which mandates that children attend school within the community in which they live. In Jamaica, most children at the early-childhood level go to neighbourhood schools determined by parents. At the primary level, though, the regulations specify that schools should enrol children who live within a four-mile radius. This is often not practised.

At the secondary level, children attend the institution at which they were placed via their performance in nationally administered achievement tests.

At tertiary, they go wherever they matriculate, based entirely on preference.

A policy on zoning would, therefore, only affect admission practices at the primary and secondary levels. This is a rather potentially explosive political issue that the typical parliamentarian will not willingly confront, as doing so could endanger support from the base as it cuts against the very grain of a parent's right to choose.

In a 2007 study on school choice in the United Kingdom, it was found that parents from lower socio-economic groups sent their children to their nearest secondary schools even if those schools were perceived as subservient, as they simply could not afford the cost of transportation to bus their children to high-performing institutions.

This is significant, as it underscores the fact that there is a correlation between class and access to quality education. I am bold enough to assert that in our island home, it is much easier and acceptable for 'poor' children to attend a traditional high school than for their more affluent peers to attend an upgraded (non-traditional, to be politically correct) high school. In fact, no traditional high school in Jamaica operates on a shift system, and that is only one of several indicators that come readily to mind.

The study went on to claim that bussing economically disadvantaged children to successful secondary schools had little effect, as the real demon was the crippling culture of the communities deemed to be deprived. In other words, a school is only as good as the membership and expectations of the communities it serves.

Superficial remedy

A school-bus system, as far as I am concerned, is only a superficial response comparatively similar to the American phenomenon of charter schools, neither of which deals with the core problem of an ailing public-education sector in need of overhaul.

The right thing to do is usually the hard thing to do, and that is why bold and visionary leadership is required of our policymakers who need to enact the necessary legislation that will transform education in Jamaica as we know it.

Education reform must be the crux of any thrust to community development. As such, we must close the opportunity gaps to ensure that quality education is delivered in all schools (and private institutions are not exempt, as 'private' does not necessarily mean 'good'). It is my considered view that Government and its partnership with non-public entities that comprise the growth sector, must focus a collaborative effort on raising standards and improving infrastructure in underperforming schools. An ambitious drive tantamount to a national education campaign is desperately needed.

Then, and only then, will we be able to fully appreciate the concept of community schools; parents will be comfortable in sending their children to the school around the corner; and our minors will have no need to be subject to unnecessary and, at times, unsafe public transportation.

Once we do that, a policy on zoning, akin to Fiji's, can be considered.

Maurice D. Smith is a doctoral student at Howard University. Feedback to this article may be sent to columns@gleanerjm.com and maurice.d.smith@bison.howard.edu.