Enough is enough - Parents demand action on long-delayed national school bus system

Irked by years of government inaction, the National Parent-Teacher Association of Jamaica (NPTAJ) has written to Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness, demanding urgent action following the heartbreaking deaths of two students from Lennon High School in a devastating motor vehicle accident in Clarendon.

The NPTAJ, in a letter to Holness, said it pleaded with successive administrations for more than a decade to implement a national school bus system to protect students from such tragedies. It noted that in 2017, a pilot programme for students of the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education was implemened, but the anticipated nationwide roll-out has stalled indefinitely.

"The lack of progress remains alarming," the Stewart Jacobs-led NPTAJ said. The delay, the NPTAJ asserted, is costing lives.

"The loss of one life is one too many," declared the association in an emotional plea to Holness.

The call for a school bus system comes amid rising concerns over reckless driving, which has become a persistent threat on Jamaica's roads. The NPTAJ strongly condemned the irresponsible actions of many motorists, stating that the absence of a dedicated and regulated transportation system leaves students vulnerable to danger every day.

The association has requested a meeting with Prime Minister Holness and the ministers of education and transport no later than next Monday to discuss the implementation of the national system.

"This is a matter of life and death," the NPTAJ emphasised, urging the Government to act swiftly to prevent further loss of young lives.

Following Monday's tragic crash, Transport Minister Daryl Vaz said the Government is "committed to strengthening the rural school bus programme to ensure that students have access to safe, dependable transportation and to minimise the number of children travelling in vehicles being operated by rogue drivers".

In September, Vaz promised that students would benefit from a rural transportation system by January next year.

"We have the template for it, but there will be a significant cost to be able to roll it out, which the Government will have to incur even though it will be done by [the] private sector," he said

In July 2023, Vaz, speaking at a post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House, said a draft terms of reference document has already been established for the implementation of this "safe, secure, efficient transport system for rural students". He said that roll-out of a pilot programme for a rural school bus system would have started by the first quarter of 2024.