Permanent Secretary for Education, Heritage and Arts Iowane Tiko has confirmed that the distribution of e-transport cards to all schools will start today.

“Vodafone has handed over all the e-transport cards for all primary schools, high schools and technical schools to the Ministry’s finance department yesterday,” said Mr Tiko.

He has further stated that the distribution of the cards would be done by the Ministry’s finance and accounts team and it will take two weeks for them to finish the distribution to all the schools around Fiji.

“We have 730 primary schools, 167 secondary schools and also those technical schools that used to receive bus fare vouchers who are now going to get the e-transport cards.”

Mr Tiko feels that the e-transport cards are a more efficient way for the ministry to monitor students and teachers attendance.

He said: “The bus fare vouchers when it started had a lot of loop holes and students and bus drivers could collude for easy cash.

“But with the e-transport cards it lessens the risk for other students stealing the cards. It generates two sources of data firstly data that can show whether they have left for school and we are thinking of having one machine in their schools where student’s attendance can be monitored.”

It has been stated by Mr Tiko that the Ministry is working together with Vodafone to get one machine into schools so that it enables the Ministry to monitor the attendance of teachers as well as students.

Edited by Mohammed Ali

Feedback:  jessica.gounder@fijisun.com.fj