Abdullah Al-Jamili

Al-Madinah

 

A REPORT published by Al-Hayat newspaper recently said the cost of school transport would increase by about 60 percent starting this new academic year. The reason given is the scarcity of drivers caused by the rising cost of recruitment and the cessation of bringing them in from a number of countries. The prices of private transport companies have also gone up due to the Nitaqat program of the Labor Ministry and the annual labor fees of SR2,400 imposed on foreign workers.



It is the poor citizen who is besieged by high prices from every corner. His financial blows have come in quick succession. First it was the expenses of Ramadan, soon followed by those of the Eid. Now it is the new school year expenses.



May Allah help the citizen. But let us confine ourselves to the issue of school transport, which has been a headache and a source of worry for a large segment of parents.



The available transport is not only expensive but most of the buses are far from safe. The result of dropping and picking up one’s children from school adds to traffic snals, showing up late for office and delaying office duties.



The Ministry of Education had formed numerous committees in the past to study and solve this problem and free the citizens from their worries and headaches. The committees were paid travel allowances, overtime and other benefits. The committees held workshops and conferences and came out with a historic recommendation: “The Cooperative School Transport."



Hold your horses, and please do not jump up with joy. That recommendation was made 15 years ago in September 1998. Like many others since then, it was just a vision that died along with other dreams and decisions that were kept locked in drawers and files.



We should also remind the ministry of the directives issued by Crown Prince Salman when he was Riyadh Governor to solve the problem of school transport in collaboration with the Saudi Public Transport Company (SAPTCO). These directives were issued about 17 years ago on Ramadan 9, 1417 AH (Jan. 17, 1997).



My question to the ministry: Is 15 years of waiting not long enough? What would it take to get you to move and resolve the issue of school transport?