Five final-year students of the Nifa Senior High School at Adukrom in the Eastern Region have been deboardenised and given indefinite suspension by the school authority for consistently flouting the school’s rules and regulations. The students, aged between 18 and 20, were punished for bullying junior students, confronting teachers, showing disrespect to authority and sneaking out of campus without exeat. The suspension of the students —three females students and two males— followed recommendations by the school’s disciplinary committee, with the approval by its Board of Governors, when the school re-opened on January 9, 2012. The affected students are Samuel Tetteh, an 18-year-old business student; John Teye, 18, a General Arts student; Gloria Boakye, 18, General Arts; Benedicta Awuku, 18, Visual Arts and Nana Yaa Johnson, a 20-year-old General Arts student. The three female students have been disallowed to write the ongoing mock examinations due to their alleged bad attitudes. They have been home for the past three weeks and are required to only show up on the day of the West African Senior School Examination in April 2012. They are supposed to dress in the white church attire of the school and come to the school in the company of their parents. However, the two male students, Joel and Samuel, have been allowed to attend classes as day students and are currently writing the mock examination. Speaking to the Daily Graphic, some parents of the affected students expressed disappointment at the decision of the school authorities, especially as the students were preparing for their WASSCE in April. “Why could the school disciplinary committee not give punitive duties such as weeding, fetching water and cleaning?” asked one of the parents who was worried how their children could be punished for “not laying their beds.” “How effectively could these kids prepare and write the final examination?” asked another parent who said they now had to get teachers to teach their children at home at extra cost. The parents added that they were deeply disappointed over the persistent refusal of the school authorities to heed “our plea for leniency in the interest of these young students who sometimes act naively.” When contacted, the Headmaster of the Nifa SHS, Mr Alex Acquah, said the punishment was endorsed by the school’s board.