Free school transport has appeared in Pervomaisky rural area of Ala-Buka district. In the last academic year, local authorities organized transportation of schoolchildren to the school from the remote Ak-Bashat village. Another minibus was launched on September 15 — for the border Airy-Tam village.
The head of Pervomaisky rural area Mukhtar Sherbaev told 24.kg news agency how a small rural area managed to launch school buses, which are not even available in large cities.
Road to school: 5-7 kilometers through fields and mountains
Pervomaisky rural area in Ala-Buka district is eight villages, 16,000 inhabitants and almost no roads. The whole district has only 2 kilometers of asphalt. The villages are located far from each other.
It is especially difficult for residents of four of them, where there are no roads or transport at all.
Every day the schoolchildren covered 5-7 kilometers on foot.
The problem is not only the long distance, but also the danger of this path. Locals say: their children go through a difficult and scary quest every day.
«It is especially difficult for those who learn in the second shift. They return home in the dark — through fields, hills. Imagine, the child returns home every day all covered in mud! What about the parents’ expenses for the child’s shoes? What about security? There are stray dogs and wolves here,» Mukhtar Sherbaev told.
According to him, stray dogs attacked the children more than once. The schoolchildren did not always manage to escape — they sometimes ended up in the hospital.
«I myself grew up here, we also walked along this path. I know how difficult it is physically and mentally. Therefore, children often miss lessons. Some parents send their children to relatives, who live closer to the school and to boarding schools in the center of the district,» the head of the rural area says.
Parents tried to solve transport issues in different ways. They even organized a joint transportation. But the project did not last long — everyone had their own troubles and simply did not have enough time.
First attempt and support of local business
Then Mukhtar Sherbaev, together with his colleagues, developed the School Bus project. They placed advertisement in local WhatsApp groups, on Facebook page. There were many interested parties. All issues were discussed and it was decided to act according to the public-private partnership method.
Local businessmen willingly supported the rural area. They even cut back on their original costs, calculated the cost of gasoline and repairs.
It turned out that rural administration will transfer 110,000-140,000 soms per year from a special account for one minibus.
«We don’t take a tyiyn from parents. The first transport was launched to the mountain Ak-Bashat village. Road to the village is very hard. At the beginning of 2021, 26 children used the school transport. Their number has grown to 40 this year. Those who studied in a boarding school or lived with relatives have been transferred to a local school and now live with their parents,» Mukhtar Sherbaev told.
Some 36 children from the remote Airy-Tam village at the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border were also pleased on September 15. A minibus comes to take them to school, and then home twice a day.
School bus regulations
The minibus is inspected once a week by a special commission, which includes local deputies, activists and youth representatives. In case of a malfunction, it is immediately removed from the route, and another one goes to take the schoolchildren from school.
In addition, requirements for the driver have been developed. Not only a neat appearance and cleanliness in the minibus are prescribed, but also the norms of behavior.
The project is planned until 2023. During this time, the local authorities intend to launch two more minibus routes.
The rural administration also plans other projects: garbage disposal and opening of a cinema.
