Responding to a question by the Minority Leader and Member for Kiang West, the Secretary of State for Basic and Secondary education, Mrs. Fatou Lamin-Faye last week informed the National Assembly that the transportation of students is not a priority for her department, noting that taking education to the doorstep of every child is the best option in the quest to universalize education in the country.

“Underpinned by this principle, it is government’s policy that no child should travel or walk for more than three kilometers without access to a school as guided by the current school mapping framework and criteria for establishment of new schools,” she pointed out.

According to Secy Faye, the policy pronouncement notwithstanding, her department is aware of the situation in the Greater Banjul Area and other parts of the country where students opt to travel fairly long distances to access education, even though there are schools that are nearer their homes.

“To ameliorate this,” she said, “the Department of State for Basic and Secondary Education negotiates, when necessary, with the Department of State for Works and Infrastructure, and the Department of State for Finance and Economic Affairs for the provision and stabilization of bus fares respectively.”

She added that as a result of such discussions, bus fare for students is now pegged at D3.00 per student.

“We regret that owing to budgetary constraints, buses cannot be readily procured to increase the existing fleet of school buses nor can we immediately replace those that are off the road,” she concluded.