PERFORMANCE AUDIT – SCHOOL TRANSPORT SYSTEM

The NAO Report - Performance Audit – School Transport System was laid on the Table of the House of Representatives by the Honourable Speaker in terms of the Auditor General and the National Audit Office Act.

During the 2001-2002 scholastic year, close to 90% of the 18,718 eligible students attending 83 different schools made use of the service provided by 739 vehicles, at a cost of around Lm 1 million.

The audit, carried out by the Value For Money Section at the NAO, focused on the operations, management and control of the service provided. It also addressed reliability, quality and the financial aspect of the service. The audit obtained views of heads at all schools making use of student transport. End-user perception was also tested through a statistically-determined sample survey of over 600 students and/or parents.

Although on average end-users declared themselves satisfied with the level of service, shortcomings were identified. The School Transport Section was found inadequate in carrying out planning and managing the service due to a severe lack of human resources. Following union directives, the majority of school heads refrain from taking responsibility for monitoring the service.

Lack of ownership combined with the inadequacies at Education Division open the way to service shortcomings and possible abuse in payments. Overpayments for non-existent routes, estimated at 10 per cent of payments made in 2001, were discovered. There is unduly early morning pick-up times; long periods of afternoon unsupervised waiting; inconsistent pick-up times; missed trips; trip amalgamation; over-crowding and lack of supervision during the trip.

Throughout the audit period, Education Division was carrying out negotiations for a new agreement with the only three transport service providers. Providers maintain a common front with the consequence of strengthening their negotiating position.

The NAO report proposes recommendations aimed at enhancing service delivery through: