Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za
3-minute read
23 December 2025

Learners walk long distances to school as scholar transport failures persist, placing thousands of children at daily risk.

Urgent intervention is required as nearly 170,000 learners across South Africa are forced to walk more than five kilometres to and from school every day due to a failing scholar transport system. Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has confirmed the scale of the crisis, with little indication that conditions will improve in 2026 unless decisive action is taken.

The issue was unpacked during a Radio Islam International interview with Dr Juane Van Der Merwe-Mocke from the Federation of Governing Bodies of South Africa (FEDSAS), who described the situation as a “large-scale failure with very real consequences on the ground”.

“When scholar transport doesn’t work, learners are expected to walk long distances to school, often starting very early in the morning and returning late in the afternoon,” Dr Van Der Merwe-Mocke said. “In some cases, children are walking more than 10 kilometres a day, on unsafe roads, exposed to crime, harsh weather and sheer exhaustion.”

She warned that the impact extends beyond physical strain, directly undermining learners’ ability to succeed academically. “A child who is tired, hungry and already overwhelmed cannot concentrate. Their learning suffers, and it is usually our most vulnerable children who are affected the most,” she said.

Provincial disparities remain stark, with KwaZulu-Natal emerging as the worst affected. More than 117,000 learners in the province who qualify for scholar transport are currently not receiving it. Dr Van Der Merwe-Mocke said this reflects a broader administrative breakdown and long-standing funding pressures, exacerbated by the province’s high number of rural schools.

However, she stressed that these challenges do not absolve the state of its obligations. “If a child qualifies for scholar transport, the responsibility to provide it still remains,” she said. “We are no longer dealing with a small gap in the system. Thousands of children are being forced to walk long distances every day, and that chips away at their learning experience.”

While scholar transport is implemented at provincial level, Dr Van Der Merwe-Mocke cautioned against the ongoing blame-shifting between departments. “One department says it’s a transport issue, the other says it’s an education issue, and in the meantime, children are left walking to school,” she said, calling for “very firm national oversight” by the Department of Basic Education.

Eligibility for scholar transport is primarily determined by distance, with learners living more than five kilometres from the nearest appropriate school qualifying. Yet even learners who meet these criteria continue to be failed by poor planning and weak accountability.

“This is no longer a provincial hiccup,” Dr Van Der Merwe-Mocke said. “It’s a national concern. Until we see proper planning, clear accountability and strong oversight, children will continue to pay the price for a system that looks fine on paper but has broken down in practice.”

Listen to the full interview on The Daily Round-Up with Annisa Essack and Dr Juane Van Der Merwe-Mocke.