By Prince J Musa in Kenema
Issues of accountability and maintenance have emerged over 4 School Buses given to the Kenema District Council through the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) in support of the transportation needs of the school pupils.
In an interview with Politico, the District Coordinator for the Free Quality Education programme, Abdul Karim Vangahun noted that upon the arrival of the four buses in the district, the administration of the council formed a committee to plan on how to manage the running of the vehicles. He said the authorities concerned could not account for the resources generated by the buses.
He said in the early months of the buses’ arrival in the district, a Committee headed by the Deputy Chief Administrator of the council used to meet every month to tender the number of tickets printed for the month, amount of revenue collected from the sales of the tickets for the previous month including expenditure, and proceeds, kept aside.
Vangahun said it is over one year now the administration of the Kenema city council has not been calling meetings or updating committee members about the running of the buses. He expressed disappointment at the committee’s management of the school buses, saying there is no transparency or accountability in the whole process.
He pointed out that when he approached the deputy chief administrator sometime time back, she told him that it was the government that handed over the buses to the council and not MBSSE.
He learnt that two of the Kenema school buses are stationary at the fire force compound due to a lack of tyres and other parts. He said the two buses that are roadworthy are overstretched especially those staying far distances away from school.
A senior officer at the Kenema City Council said the council is in debt for fuel to run the school buses, and the money the school buses generate cannot offset the fuel costs per week. He said the central government has not been sending a single cent for maintenance of the buses but only sending people from Freetown to service the buses, but the men have stopped coming as a result of lack of finances which has led to the dissolution of the committee.
When Politico approached the Deputy Chief Administrator of the Kenema city council Julia Koroma to hear her own side, she declined to speak any further and could only say they are faced with serious constraints in the running of the buses.
One civil society activist in Kenema, Prince Mansaray told Politico that they are concerned over the management of the school buses as he said they are only seeing two of them plying the streets.
‘’We are confused as to how the buses are being managed in terms of revenue generation,’’ he said.
He said the Kenema city council has failed to tell the public about the income collected and its utilization.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (20/10/23)
