This speech was delivered at the first public meeting of the DLP to report it's performance after one year in office.

It was a new school year in many ways yesterday morning (Sept 1st 2008). It was not just the first day for students but the first day for two new programmes - the national free bus transport programme for students and the deportment Rules and Guidelines established for secondary school students. According to officials from both the Ministry of Education and the Transport Board, it was a largely successful day on both fronts. Government spared no effort in ensuring that a 250-strong fleet of buses was ready to hit the road with both the Minister of Education Ronald Jones and Minister of Transport John Boyce themselves boarding a bus to get a first-hand view of how the start of the day would unfold. Here, Minister of Transport John Boyce (in suit) observing schoolchildren in Tweedside Road, St Michael, getting on an Alleyne School-bound bus yesterday morning. (Picture by Rawle Culbard.)