Pupils and students in Benin, the Edo capital, have commended the state government for its free bus services for them.
The school children, who spoke in Benin, said that the gesture had made less their financial burden and should be sustained.
Miss Mary Osaro, a primary five pupil in Iwogban Primary School, Benin, said the gesture would enable more children to attend school.
“Most of my friends don’t go to school every day because their parents don’t have enough money to give to them as transport fares. But since Gov. Adams Oshiomhole has provided school buses for us free, I believe my friends will now be able to go to school every day”, she said.
Some of the school children, however, appealed to the operators of the buses to adjust their departure time in the morning to prevent them from going late to school.
They also called on the bus operators to cover more routes to enable majority of the school children to benefit from the services.
Some of the pupils and students in public schools also appealed to the state government to also renovate their dilapidated school buildings.They also urged the government to provide desks, chairs and tables in the schools and introduce more services such as free meals and use of computers.
Reacting, a staff of the bus company, who pleaded anonymity, said that “we are scared that this policy might affect our business, especially the marketers who formerly sold our tickets. But since it just started, we will wait for more directives from our management”.
NAN recalls that Oshiomhole on May 27 introduced the free bus services for school children in the state.
The governor said the gesture was part of measures to ensure the security of children in the state. (NAN)
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