Former President John Dramani Mahama has reacted to the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Adutwum’s announcement that underperforming Senior High Schools (SHSs) and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Institutions will be closed down to save the government money.

The Education Minister had urged the Heads of schools with a consistent 0-10 per cent pass rate to put together intervention programmes in order to make students who pass through such schools find opportunities for further studies instead of becoming a burden on society and their parents as a result of their inability to pass their exams.

The Minister was speaking in the Ashanti Regional Capital, Kumasi, with the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) and Principals of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Institutions at a meeting.

However, reacting to the announcement by the Education Minister, while addressing branch executives of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) at Adudwama in the Ahafo Ano South East Constituency of the Ashanti region, the former President called for the resignation of the Minister, if the only solution he can propose to the underperformance of those schools, is for them to shut down.

Mr Mahama said: “Help them achieve better results and provide better education for the children, but don’t you dare close schools.

“The Minister for Education should resign if his only solution to a problem is to close schools.”

The Minister had cautioned the CHASS and Principals of TVET institutions of such schools, to improve the standards of the schools or risk having them shut down.

According to the Minister, closing down the schools, will save government from incurring huge losses with the existence of such schools.

He explained that, the students who will be affected by the closure of such schools will be reallocated to schools nearby to enable them continue their education.