Education Minister has no power to close down non-performing schools - Clement Apaak

Deputy Ranking Member on the Education Committee of Parliament, Dr Clement Apaak, has said the Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has no right to close down non-performing schools.

The Education Minister said non-performing schools would be closed down while affected students are distributed to nearby schools to continue their education.

He said this when he addressed members of the Conference of Assisted Senior High Schools (CHASS) and Principals of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions in Kumasi on Saturday, March 11, 2023.

According to him, the closure of non-performing schools will save the country from huge financial losses incurred by the government as a result of running the schools.

He, therefore, called on the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) and Principals of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions to improve their educational results.

Speaking on Atinka TV's morning show, Ghana Nie with Ama Gyenfa Ofosu Darkwah, Dr Clement Apaak said he had not seen any law that gives the Minister the powers to close down a school since he started serving on the Education Committee.

He said the Minister failed to properly analyse the issue and the causal effects of the non-performing schools and rather blaming headteachers and the students.

He said the issue has to do with financial and policy challenges.

Meanwhile, he said since the NPP-Government took office, it has under-resourced basic schools and channeled everything to the senior high schools.

Dr Clement Apaak said in the last two years, the government has refused to pay Capitation Grants to the basic schools, adding that it is owing them about GHC45 Million.

Meanwhile, the Capitation Grants, he noted, are used to purchase chalks, registers, maintenance and among others.

The MP said the Government’s policy that the students at the basic should not be repeated even if they do not perform and the fact that schools must admit students with aggregate 50 was also a factor to the non-performing schools.

“He does not have the power to close down schools. The decision to close down schools is not the right one. What they need to do is to change policy. Why are you saying that the secondary schools must admit students with aggregate 50? We should go back to the time where there was a cut-off,” he said.