Five final-year students of Adisadel College in Cape Coast have been dismissed for stealing. Headmaster of the school, Herbert Graham, has confirmed to The Times that those affected were dismissed this term, after thorough investigations by the school authorities. One of them was arrested when he snatched a lady teacher's handbag in the evening as she walked towards her residence on campus. The four others broke into the bungalow of the Hall Master and stole his belongings, including money. Mr Graham disclosed this at the school's 98th Speech and prize-giving day celebrations on Saturday. The ceremony also witnessed the inauguration of a four-storey 16 unit classroom block to cater for the additional classes under the four-year Senior High School (SHS) programme and a GHc35,000 cold store facility for the school. Mr Graham explained that when the four students who stole the Hall Master's belongings heard that the Hall Master had reportedly consulted a juju man over the theft, they quickly owned up. Mr Graham said that after their dismissal, parents of the students made many appeals to the school to re-admit their wards but the school authorities refused. He lamented that some parents had turned the country's educational institutions into dumping grounds for their problematic children and said it was about time parents played a more meaningful role and complemented efforts by educational institutions to instill discipline in their wards. "Adisadel College was founded on a solid Christian faith and the school's insistence on our boys to tow the path of righteousness has never been reneged on," he added. He said the school authorities will, in spite of all the constraints, continue to enforce discipline in all areas, “mindful that sparing the rod spoils the child". On infrastructure, Mr Graham said the school would construct the 11th dormitory block to accommodate the fourth year senior high school students and a two-storey 12-unit block of flats for the junior staff. The Guest of Honour, Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama, in an address stressed the need for students in Senior High Schools to show maturity even before the choice of their professions at the tertiary level. He urged the students to be disciplined and lead healthy lives. "Acts of indiscipline such as drug abuse, robbery, examination malpractices, truancy, rioting, sexual escapades and destruction of public property to mention but a few, are anti-social behaviours that make you a liability and not an asset to your self and society," he stated. "Sobriety, self-restraint, respect and hard work count a lot in life for they are corner stones of civility and good breeding," the Vice President advised. He said through the Ghana Educational Trust Fund (GETfund), the school would be supported with a bus and teachers' flats. Alhaji Mahama made a GHc5,000 donation towards the centenary celebration of the school. Source: The Times