Samoa's Prime Minister Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi has hit back on a parliamentary decision to close several schools because of safety concerns for children.
Tuila'epa says any decision by a parliamentary committee should first be tabled in the house for debate but the final decision to close any government school comes from his cabinet.
He has told a radio station during his weekly programme that cabinet has the authority.
One of the primary schools being closed by the parliamentary committee, chaired by the speaker, has had the top floor of a building demolished, with plans rebuild the ground level.
It has been reported that the Ministry of Education granted approval to a committee at the school to reconstruct part of a building that was not safe for the students.
