The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has condemned the vandalism by some senior high school students in Ghana.

The bishops said in a statement that they have noticed with utter dismay, the total disregard for the rule of law and the wanton destruction of state properties that is taking place on the campuses of some Senior High Schools across the country in reference to the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

“We condemn, in no uncertain terms, this show of disrespect for authority, even going to the extent of insulting the President of the nation; the attacks on some heads of institutions, teachers, staff of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) and journalists, resulting in varied degrees of injuries suffered by the victims. These unfortunate incidents are very disheartening, to say the least,” the statement said.

The statement called on all the major stakeholders in education and the law enforcement agencies to bring the perpetrators of these acts to book in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Ghana Education Service as well as the laws of the land to serve as a deterrent to others.

“We equally call on all final-year students writing the ongoing WASSCE to remain calm and to concentrate on their studies instead of looking for leaked examination questions to enable them to pass their exams. We would like to remind our dear students that there is no shortcut to success but only through hard work and discipline. We also urge them to desist from all forms of lawlessness and disregard for authority.

“We finally call on all Ghanaians, especially adults, to show good examples to the youth instead of encouraging them to do things that endanger their lives and those of others. The canker of violence that is gradually creeping into our society should be of great worry to all people of peace and goodwill, and the earlier we nip this in the bud, the better it will be for us.”