North West scholar transport failures violate pupils' rights, SAHRC finds

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) found that failures in the scholar transport system in the North West amounted to serious violations of human rights, particularly of poor and rural children.

The commission found that pupils were indirectly denied access to safe and reliable education and were being exposed to dangerous situations due to the government's failures in the province's scholar transport system.

Nomahlubi Khwinana, the chairperson of the commission, delivered the findings on Monday following an investigative report into the system. 

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She said pupils from poor and rural households were subjected to unsafe and unequal transport conditions.

"Systemic failures in the scholar transport programme constitute violations of pupils' constitutional rights, including the right to basic education, as they are unable to access schooling in a safe, reliable, and consistent manner, the rights to equality and human dignity are violated where pupils are subjected to unsafe, undignified, and unequal transport conditions."