School administrations put the responsibility on the transportation companies

The journey to school is a daily struggle for students in Fujairah

Students in Fujairah suffer on my trip to school and back.

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Students in areas in the Emirate of Fujairah (Masafi, Al-Hail, Taiba, Farfar and Wadi Al-Abadla) complained about the lack of buses in public and private schools, despite the passage of several weeks since the start of the school year, noting that the students’ journey to and from school exceeds 50 minutes, as a result of the lack of buses, Include several areas for each bus.

They emphasized that they preferred to deliver their children in their private vehicles to school in the morning, and return them to homes after the end of school hours, which constitutes an additional burden for them so as not to leave their children suffering on school buses back and forth, stressing that the journey in the private vehicle takes about 20 minutes, and on the bus it reaches full hour.

And the administrations of private schools reported that the decisions of the transportation companies are completely separate from them, and they cannot interfere in them unless they violate the necessary requirements, imposed by the Ministry of Education, stressing that they have received complaints from students’ families in several areas in the emirate, for not providing buses specific to their areas, And their protest against the merging of students from several regions on one bus, which increases the travel time to and from school.

An administrator in a transportation company affiliated with a private school in Fujairah, who preferred not to be named, said that some areas contain a small number of students, ranging between five and 10 students, and it is difficult for the company to allocate a bus, driver and supervisor for five students, so the students of these areas are joined with the students of the area near them.

He added that the time taken to and from the school via the bus is not in the hands of the bus driver, given the distance between these areas and the school, explaining that no additional fees are charged to students of the areas, despite their distance to other areas, stressing that his company abides by all the regulations and standards set. By the Ministry of Education, and did not violate it.

On the other hand, the administration of a government school in Fujairah confirmed that the students of the Al-Hail area, which includes 1,100 houses, included a large number of students who were recently transferred to schools near their area, which created a problem in arranging buses in proportion to the number of students.

She pointed out that during the past two months, students were distributed on buses in a way that ensures their arrival to school in a timely manner, which requires taking the student from his home earlier than the areas near the school, to ensure his timely arrival.

The father of two students in a private school, Ali Al-Hafeiti, stated that he resides in the Al Hail area in Mohammed bin Zayed City, and involved his two sons in a school bus for a fee of 6000 dirhams, to ensure their comfort and their arrival to school in time, but they complain about the lack of space in the bus, and the long wait during my trip. Back and forth, due to the bus transporting students from more than one area, noting that his children are taken from home at six in the morning, and return home at half past two, despite their leaving school at 12:40 minutes.

He stressed that he could not stand the time his two sons traveled on the bus, which made him go to school to file a complaint against the transportation company, but the matter remained as it is, on the pretext of the small number of students in the city who are transported to and from school by bus, which made them include students from several regions. in one bus.

He was supported in his opinion by his father, a kindergarten student at a private school, Fatima Muhammad, who resides in the Taiba area, and reserved a seat for her daughter at the beginning of the school year, and a month has passed since the payment was made, and she did not renew the subscription, and preferred to transport her in a private vehicle for the same value that she pays for the bus in exchange for her daughter’s comfort. And not feeling annoyed, given that students of all stages crowd together and spend up to an hour on the journey to and from school, which is stressful for children.

Extra charge

The mother of a student reported that private schools charge residents of some remote areas with additional bus fees, alleging that the buses need additional fuel, and other arguments.

The mother of three students in different stages of a government school in Fujairah, Fatima Ali, said that her children suffer daily during the two trips to school and back, given that they were taken from home early, and they returned late, as one of her sons comes at four o’clock in the afternoon exhausted because of the length of time The time spent on the bus that carries students from more than one area, noting that the school claims that the problem is the result of a large number of students traveling to the school, and the presence of great pressure on the buses.

• Students' families complain about the lack of buses, and others have resorted to private vehicles.

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