Travel costs force students to stay home

Mthatheni Sibanda scribbles in an untidy notebook as he watches over his family's vegetable stand at a mini-market in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second city. The 19-year-old is a final year advanced-level student trying to balance the needs of school work with finding the money for his transport to school. Like several Zimbabwean students, Sibanda can only afford to attend class twice a week. "I really would love to be at school with other children, especially since I am preparing for my final examinations," he said. Sibanda's teachers initially accused him of truancy, but escalating transport costs soon made them wiser, he explained. Transport fares have been rising steadily since last year. This week the cost of a single trip to Bulawayo city centre nearly doubled to 50 US cents. Five round trips a week could add up to $20 a month in a country where average salaries range between $50 to $100 a month. Transport costs are yet another burden for students and parents already struggling to keep up with a 150 to 500 percent hike in fees for missionary and private schools. Even public school fees of about $151 per term is beyond the reach of many Zimbabweans. Collin Chibango, a student leader at the University of Zimbabwe, has urged the government to intervene, "because where does a student get a dollar everyday for their transport costs?" The Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) has also petitioned the government to enforce a law that will compel minibus operators to charge pupils half the normal fare. "Classes are empty; in most cases we find ourselves having to teach only a fraction of the whole class after students fail to turn up. It is a sad development that is unfolding at national level that should be addressed as a matter of urgency," said Raymond Majongwe, PTUZ secretary-general. Escalating transport costs have also made girl pupils vulnerable to exploitation by taxi drivers and some motorists who ask for sexual favours in exchange for a free lift to school, said Majongwe, citing a PTUZ survey.