Sunyani, June 30, GNA - Final year students of senior secondary schools in the Brong Ahafo Region who owe school fees were on Thursday sent home and will only be allowed to come back to campus to take the SSSCE on payment of their outstanding fees. The regional branch of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) took the decision at a meeting in Sunyani following a tip-off that the students had decided to pay the fees only when they come in for their results.

"Until they pay their fees, we will not allow them into the schools and the decision takes immediate effect", Mr Joseph Awuah, the Headmaster of Sunyani Secondary School and chairman of the regional branch, said. He said they suspected that the defaulting students had been given the fees by their parents or guardians but they were keeping them.

The headmaster said finalists in his school owed a total of 232 million cedis, in contrast with last year's arrears of 20 million cedis. Mr Alex Baah Bofah, the Headmaster of Dormaa Secondary School, said final year students in the school owed about 200 million cedis, while Mr. Adjei Hinneh, the Headmaster of Berekum told GNA on phone that defaulters of his school owed 190 million cedis.

The heads said last year the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) co-operated with them by not putting the results on the Internet. They said that arrangement had not been reached with the WAEC this year and that had forced them to take the harsh decision. 30 June 05