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The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has closed down five illegal driving schools in the Ashanti Region. The schools were said not to have met the authority�s requirements and were, as such, operating illegally. The schools closed down were Thessapong Driving School at Sepe Buokrom, Quench Driving School at Patasi, Sizon Driving School at Santasi and Angel Driving School at Gyinyase, all in the Kumasi metropolis, and Glory Driving School at Aputuogya in the Bosomtwe District. Shortcomings While some of the schools failed to register with the authority as part of the requirements for establishing a driving school, others did not have the facilities and qualified staff to operate as such. For instance, Glory and Angel Driving schools neither have classrooms to teach prospective drivers, nor certified instructors as required by the law. Briefing the Daily Graphic, the Deputy Director in charge of Driver Training, Testing and Licensing at the DVLA, Mr Kafui Semevo, explained that �it is a legal requirement that all driving schools in the country register with the DVLA, but all the five schools had not complied with this requirement�. Mr Semevo, who led a task force to close down the schools, said the owners would have to contact the authority to guide them on the process for establishing driving schools. Aside the five schools not registering, he said, some of them also failed to meet the criteria for establishing a driving school and also lacked the necessary facilities. Mr Semevo said the exercise to flush out illegal driving schools was carried out annually to ensure that all driving schools in the country operated in conformity with the law. In view of that, besides closing down the illegal schools, the task force issued 13 prohibitive notices to some of them for using defective vehicles to train would-be drivers. He said those cars could not be used again until the faults detected had been rectified and the vehicles sent to DVLA offices for certification.