14/08/2026
BOTSWANA’S SCHOOL-TRANSPORT SYSTEM IS FAILING LEARNERS 🇧🇼
Parliament has now supported a nationwide framework for safe, accessible and learner-friendly school transport. That vote matters because the present system leaves too many learners carrying risks government should have addressed long ago.
Botswana recorded 14,372 road crashes and 342 fatalities in 2024, according to WHO’s Botswana road-safety update. Parliament’s debate also described learners relying on overcrowded public transport, informal vehicles and long walks—sometimes in unsafe conditions.
This is not merely a transport inconvenience. It is a failure of public systems affecting children, especially rural and low-income learners.
Responsibility now sits with the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and the Ministry of Child Welfare and Basic Education. A motion cannot protect a child. Implementation can.
Government must publish:
• binding safety and maintenance standards;
• vetted driver and attendant requirements;
• priority routes based on distance and danger;
• a funded national rollout plan;
• clear responsibilities between ministries and councils;
• public targets for coverage, reliability and safety;
• quarterly progress reports citizens can scrutinise.
Without deadlines, budgets and accountable officials, “learner-friendly transport” risks becoming another promise celebrated in Parliament but not experienced on the road.
The policy principle is sound. The current system is not. Government should state publicly when the first routes will operate, who qualifies, what the programme will cost and who will answer for delays.
Which learners in your community are still walking dangerous distances or using unsafe transport?
—Lesedi Mark
Sources:
Parliament of Botswana: https://www.parliament.gov.bw/index.php?Itemid=944&option=com_parliament&view=bills
WHO Botswana road-safety update: https://www.afro.who.int/countries/botswana/news/enhanced-safe-systems-approach-reduces-road-casualties-botswana
