Headmasters and administrators of private and independent schools have been left in the dark by the Education Ministry over the new free school transport system expected to be introduced as from this September, the Times of Malta is informed.
Parents are also complaining that schools are not giving them any information or direction as to what they should do as preparations for the coming scholastic year are now in full swing.
“Parents are continuously calling us about whether they should pay for school transport as usual and whether the routes of their children will be changed or re-routed,” the head of a church school said.
“The problem is that the Education Ministry has not told us anything and I am not in a position to tell parents what to do,” he complained.
The headmaster of an independent school also confirmed that he is facing the same situation. He told this newspaper that every time he tried to get some information from the Education Ministry, he got nowhere.
“Since I’ve been told by some contacts I have at the Education Ministry that there is total confusion over what is going to happen due to ongoing negotiations with service providers, I am advising parents that for the time being they should proceed as usual,” he said.
“When the Education Ministry finds the time to inform us what is going to happen, then we will take it from there,” he said.
There is total confusion over what is going to happen due to ongoing negotiations with service providers
Asked by the Times of Malta for an update on the scheme and whether church and independent schools should expect the scheme to be introduced at the start of the scholastic year, as promised, the Ministry did not reply.
According to an electoral pledge, the government has committed itself to start paying some €10 million a year to provide free school transport for students of church and independent schools.
So far, the government already offers free transport for students attending State schools, at an annual cost of some €8 million.
The main aim of the government’s scheme for independent and church school students is to reduce traffic congestion during the rush hours.
So far, many students attending private and church schools commute to and from their school with parents or relatives. The government is hoping that through free transport, more parents will opt to send their children by organised transport.
Last February, the Education Ministry published a White Paper with proposals on how the scheme would work.
In May, Education Minister Evarist Bartolo said that negotiations had started with service providers – the majority of which were associations of coach owners and mini buses – in order to try to negotiate rates to be charged to the government and find a new way to operate.
Despite that more than three months have passed since the start of negotiations, the government has not yet made any formal announcements. Sources close to the Education Ministry told this newspaper that no agreement between service providers and the government has been reached yet.
It seems there are also issues regarding the supervision of the service as a call by the government for transport supervisors did not get the desired response.