Transport costs continue to challenge no-fee school’s learner transport programme

Cape Town, South Africa – As South Africans continue to feel the impact of rising inflation and increasing fuel prices, no fee independent school, Christel House South Africa, is warning that escalating transport costs are placing growing pressure on one of the most overlooked barriers to education: getting children safely to and from school.

Christel House South Africa transports 1 006 learners from 30 underserved communities across the Cape Flats to its campus in Ottery daily. For many families, reliable transport is the difference between accessing a quality education and being excluded from it altogether. Unlike most schools, transport is one of the core pillars of the organisation’s holistic education model, alongside nutritious meals, healthcare, psychosocial support, academic support and its College & Career programme.

Says Development & Partnerships Director at Christel House South Africa, Lara Black, “Education doesn’t begin when a child walks into a classroom, it begins when they have a safe and reliable way to get there. Every increase at the fuel pump has a direct impact on our learners being able to access education.”

Christel House South Africa’s budget to transport learners safely to and from school is severely underfunded for the 2026 financial year. With the ongoing volatility in the fuel prices, the cost of keeping children on the road to education is expected to increase even further.

With a 25-year history, Christel House South Africa continues to expand its reach to serve more children from low-income communities. The organisation opened its second High School in May, significantly expanding access to quality secondary education, and added a new Grade RR classroom to meet growing demand for Early Childhood Development. The latter is part of the school’s expansion of its Junior School, which will increase capacity by 50% and enable hundreds more children to benefit from its proven no-fee education and holistic support model.

“As we grow, so too do the operational costs that make education possible,” says Black. “Transport is one of the critical enablers of our model, yet it’s often invisible to those outside the education sector. Without it, our learners simply wouldn’t be able to attend school consistently or safely. Investing in learner transport is investing in educational access, attendance and ultimately better life outcomes.”

Once completed, the expansion will increase learner enrolment from 1006 learners today to approximately 1410 learners, extending life-changing educational opportunities to even more children across the Cape Flats.

Christel House South Africa is the only Christel House school on the African continent and forms part of Christel House International, a global network of 11 schools across five countries, with new schools planned to open in Colombia in 2027 and Nepal in 2028.

The organisation is inviting individual donors, corporate partners, businesses, foundations and transport providers to help ensure that rising transport costs do not become another barrier to education. “Every bus journey represents far more than a trip to school,” says Black. “It represents hope, opportunity and the chance for a child to fulfil their potential. As costs continue to rise, we urgently need partners who recognise that investing in transport is investing in education and in South Africa’s future leaders.”

How you can help:

To support Christel House South Africa’s learner transport service:

• Make a once-off donation

  by visiting

  www.sa.christelhouse.org

  and selecting

  “Transport”

  as your preferred area of support.

• Become a monthly donor

  by completing our online debit order form, available on their website. Regular monthly giving provides sustainable funding that helps keep Christel House South Africa’s learner transport service running throughout the year.

• To discuss corporate partnerships, sponsorship opportunities or monthly giving, please contact

  Lara Black

  at

  lblack@sa.christelhouse.org

  .

Every contribution, regardless of size, helps ensure that rising transport costs do not become a barrier to a child’s education.