Students use fees for mobile phones - Headteacher

Ms. Kate Bannerman, Headmistress of Nungua Secondary School on Tuesday expressed concern over the mobile phone craze among some students saying some of them use their fees to buy the phones. She has therefore appealed to parents not give out school fees to their wards but make payments directly to the schools.

Ms Bannerman made the appeal when Papa Owusu Ankomah, Minister of Education Science and Sports called at her school as part of a visit to some selected examination centres during the commencement of the West Africa Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in Accra. Other schools visited included the Presbyterian Secondary School, Osu, Labone Secondary School, Presbyterian Secondary School, Teshie and Nungua Secondary School.

Mrs Rene Boakye Boaten, Director-in-charge of Secondary Education accompanied the Minister.

Ms Bannerman said there had been instances where some parents called the school claiming monies for fees had been used for the purchase of mobile phones thereby creating problems for the parents. Ms Bannerman confirmed that students had classes under trees only when they had alternative class because work on a three-storey building supposed to house an 18 classrooms was under construction and appealed to the Ministry to assist the school with new furniture.

Mr G.O. Danso, a Supervisor at the School said three out of the 388 candidates writing the examination were absent. According to him one student passed away last week but " the rest did not turn up."

Mr Danso said the examination started smoothly with 13 invigilators.

At the Presbyterian Secondary School, Osu, Ms Dinah Welbeck, headmistress, said there was one absentee out of 318 candidates. Ms Welbeck said their core mathematics paper was mislabeled but a circular was sent to correct that.

At Labone Secondary School, Mrs Elizabeth Ama Asare, Assistant headmistress in charge of Administration, said 680 students were writing the WASSCE and that the examination started smoothly as well as the Teshie Presbyterian where 300 students were taking the Core Mathematics paper one, according to Mrs Valencia Quame, the headmistress. Papa Owusu-Ankomah urged the contractor of Mantseson United Company, Mr Enoch Botwe working on the three-storey for the Nungua Secondary School to make them ready at the beginning of the next academic year. The minister was happy with all the schools visited and said, "I hope this trend would continue till the end of the examination." Paapa Owusu- Ankomah however warned candidates against cheating saying, "Short cuts are dangerous, if you cheat to excel, you will fail when you enter the world." Papa Owusu-Ankomah commended teachers for the good work done for the students, adding, "We hope a time would come that the national cake would cover every one". 8 May 07