As October marks #TransportMonth, The Nokuphila School recognises that access to reliable transport is essential for ensuring education remains within reach for all, and calls on individuals or businesses to sponsor a seat on the bus.
In South Africa, more than 8 million of our 12.5 million learners walk to school as their families cannot afford private transportation. This inaccessibility impacts student’s ability to attend full-time, with many taking more than 30 minutes to walk each way. This disparity puts many children at a disadvantage, even further behind.
At Nokuphila School in Thembisa, they pride themself on delivering on their mission to give vulnerable children access to quality education. A key contributor to their brilliant attendance records is their commitment to providing safe and dependable transport to all attendees of their school.
A commitment to safety and security
The Nokuphila School was founded in 2010 and has grown its footprint year-on-year, now catering from their pre-primary intake at Grade 000 to high school learners in Grade 8.
In a mission to purposefully uplift the learners who are entrusted to their care, Nokuphila sees to their learners’ comprehensive well-being by integrating psychological, nutritional, physical and social needs as a part of their domain.
Along with its comprehensive educational programme, the school makes concerted efforts through their nutritional programme, its growing extra-mural schedule and the assistance they have onboarded from experts in allied services such as social work and educational therapies such as occupational and speech therapy.
The impressive transport programme at Nokuphila has always been of paramount importance, as safe transport not only ensures their learners’ safety but also alleviates unnecessary absenteeism. The transport programme gets learners safely to and from school daily, considering each of the individual learners’ extracurricular schedules – an impressive logistical feat.
The cost of safe transport: by the numbers
- Annual programme cost: R3 424 484
- Annual cost per child: R8 941 per annum
- Total kilometres travelled in 2023: 36 630 km.
Having refined its programme over the years, Nokuphila now runs and maintains four buses full-time, with each covering designated routes. This ensures that all 383 learners are safely transported to and from school.
Aside from the significant fuel costs and drivers’ wages, maintaining these buses to road safety standards requires significant funding. As one of the most important programmes the school runs, it is also one of the costliest.
Secure an education, secure a brighter future
By sponsoring a seat on the bus, individuals or businesses can ensure a learner’s continued access to education in the year ahead. Along with transport to school, these buses transport learners to learning outings and school events, enriching the learners’ lives immeasurably.
To make a difference by getting on board the Nokuphila Transport Programme, sign up to donate R250 per month, or give a once-off donation to this programme.
So many young South African learners already face significant challenges; a lift to school should simply not be one of them. Together, we can drive South Africa forward and empower learners by keeping them on the move.
Sponsor A Seat, Secure An Education
To find out more about this incredible #TransportMonth initiative, and #SponsorASeat, please contact Mmatsie Motimele at mmatsiem@lovetrust.co.za or on 010 023 7370.
