As the second term nears its conclusion, many students utilizing blue e-ticketing bus cards, particularly those in the northern regions, have yet to have their accounts replenished. This situation has resulted in some students missing several days of school, raising concerns among parents.
Parent Paulini Utouto expressed that the failure to top up these bus cards has significantly impacted the students’ ability to commute. “Many students depend on their bus cards for transportation to school, but with the current issues, some are unable to use public transport to attend classes,” Ms. Utouto explained.
To address the immediate challenges, some parents with red bus cards are lending them to their children as a temporary fix. “This solution has allowed some students to continue their education without interruption; however, it also highlights the persistent problems with the blue bus card system,” she added. Ms. Utouto noted that students from another primary school in Labasa and Savusavu are facing similar issues, as reported by their relatives.
Despite repeated inquiries with the Education Ministry in the North, there has been no resolution. “Each time we ask the staff, we receive the same response: ‘next week’.”
In response, Education Minister Aseri Radrodro explained that schools are required to inform the ministry if a student receives a replacement e-ticketing card to facilitate their top-up. “If a card is replaced, the school needs to notify the ministry,” Mr. Radrodro clarified, indicating that the school will subsequently need to update the system to reflect that the student utilized the new bus fare. Without this update, the students cannot redeem their top-ups, as the system must recognize the new cards.