At least 15 final year students of Bright Senior High School at Kukurantumi in the Eastern re­gion have been denied the opportu­nity of writing their papers in the ongoing West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for charg­ing their phones illegally in the school.

The head of the school, Bright Amponsah, is asking the affected stuctenls to pay a sum of GH¢ 100.00 for their offence which led to the burning of an electrical socket, cables, and blankets or forfeit sitting the exams which they have duly paid for.

Information gathered by the pa­per indicated that with the excep­tion of a handful of the students who have paid for fear of not writing the WASSCE, some have been sent home while others have been refused entry to dining halls to enjoy meals they have paid for.

While the parents argue that it is unfair to bar the students from writ­ing the sub-regional exams, the school authorities have assumed care-free posture portending that unless the children pay the charges, they would not be allowed to enjoy certain services the school grants to other students.

This comes on the heels of warn­ings by the Minister of Education, Prof. Naana Opoku-Agyemang to heads of institutions to desist from charging illegal fees.

Speaking to the Daily Heritage in an interview, some of the parents who pleaded strict anonymity said the management of the school is acting arbitrarily "and even if the students have offended, should they be treated harshly like that?"

Giving an account of the offence of the 15 students, they explained that the children have for sometime been charging their phones illegally in their dormitories without the knowledge of the school authori­ties.

"On that fateful day, the socket they were using to charge their phones exploded due to poor elec­trical fittings and sparked fire which gutted some cables, blankets and their belongings," they stated.

The headmaster of the school, ac­cording to them, is asking each stu­dent to pay a sum of GH¢100.00 for repair works.

"The money being charged is on the high side and we are only plead­ing that they reduce it. We are not against the children being punished for their fault, but it should not be extended to a level which would af- j feet their future," they added.

They appealed to the Ghana Edu­cation Service and the minister of education to intervene on behalf of the children so that they are not traumatized for being refused to write their final examinations.