Barely two weeks after the commencement of the Ondo
State’s Free School Shuttle Scheme, as the state government concluded
plans for an additional 50 buses to the existing fleet of 20 with 33,000
student beneficiaries.
The 50 buses will be delivered today, Thursday.
Commissioner for Education, Aderemi Olatubora, stated this while on an assessment tour of the operational areas of the scheme in Akure on Tuesday.
Olatubora, in company with his Transport counterpart, Nicholas Tofowomo, said the new vehicles have been acquired to complement the pilot scheme being operated in the state capital.
“When we found out that the number of buses we are having in Akure is not enough, Mr. Governor approved the purchase of 50 additional vehicles.
“Next week, we will brand the vehicles and hand them over to the Ministry of Transport to manage and add them to the existing ones, such that the backlog of students we are having at the shuttle bus stops now won’t be there again.”
On the impact of the scheme on the education sector, the commissioner declared that daily assessment by Quality Education Assurance evaluators showed that it has shored up students and pupils’ punctuality in schools.
“We also found out that about 60 per cent of our students and pupils were missing the first lessons in the morning because of transport problem, but with this scheme, schools are now recording almost 100 per cent attendance of first lessons everyday.
On his part, Tofowomo said about 33, 000 students and pupils are currently enjoying the free bus services daily in Akure Metropolis at 80 bus stops on seven routes.
According to him, “we have monitoring teams which supervise boarding of the buses and their exit, in addition to bus guides fashioned after the London Underground Transport system.
“It is simply a novel idea in the transportation system in Nigeria which is also one of the state government’s welfare programmes and direct delivery of part of the dividends of democracy.
Permanent Secretary, Quality Education Assurance Agency, Steve Awosika, stressed the need for parents to ensure the avoidance of their wards’ lateness to schools by bringing them early enough to shuttle bus stops.
“It is one thing for the buses to be there and the students not there, even if you put one million vehicles and the students are not there, the buses would just be idle.
“Notwithstanding this, what we have seen now is quick response to the transportation needs of school children in the state”, he explained.
The 50 buses will be delivered today, Thursday.
Commissioner for Education, Aderemi Olatubora, stated this while on an assessment tour of the operational areas of the scheme in Akure on Tuesday.
Olatubora, in company with his Transport counterpart, Nicholas Tofowomo, said the new vehicles have been acquired to complement the pilot scheme being operated in the state capital.
“When we found out that the number of buses we are having in Akure is not enough, Mr. Governor approved the purchase of 50 additional vehicles.
“Next week, we will brand the vehicles and hand them over to the Ministry of Transport to manage and add them to the existing ones, such that the backlog of students we are having at the shuttle bus stops now won’t be there again.”
On the impact of the scheme on the education sector, the commissioner declared that daily assessment by Quality Education Assurance evaluators showed that it has shored up students and pupils’ punctuality in schools.
“We also found out that about 60 per cent of our students and pupils were missing the first lessons in the morning because of transport problem, but with this scheme, schools are now recording almost 100 per cent attendance of first lessons everyday.
On his part, Tofowomo said about 33, 000 students and pupils are currently enjoying the free bus services daily in Akure Metropolis at 80 bus stops on seven routes.
According to him, “we have monitoring teams which supervise boarding of the buses and their exit, in addition to bus guides fashioned after the London Underground Transport system.
“It is simply a novel idea in the transportation system in Nigeria which is also one of the state government’s welfare programmes and direct delivery of part of the dividends of democracy.
Permanent Secretary, Quality Education Assurance Agency, Steve Awosika, stressed the need for parents to ensure the avoidance of their wards’ lateness to schools by bringing them early enough to shuttle bus stops.
“It is one thing for the buses to be there and the students not there, even if you put one million vehicles and the students are not there, the buses would just be idle.
“Notwithstanding this, what we have seen now is quick response to the transportation needs of school children in the state”, he explained.
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