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Children in some basic schools in the Ashanti Region are resorting to gambling in the absence of their striking teachers. A few schools opened briefly for academic work on Tuesday, but closed later and students asked to go home. Some pupils will not heed the order to leave campus, but rather resort to all forms of gambling on in the absence of their teachers. Though they admit gambling is illegal, the children insist it is the last resort after their classrooms had been put under lock under key. The teachers� action over service conditions has taken a toll on teaching and learning as students have a field day on campus as nobody is available to supervise them. Children of Abuakwa-Asonomaso D/A Primary and JHS A and B, as well as their colleagues of Abuakwa Cluster of Schools were unlucky as their schools remain closed on day two of the strike. At the Asem cluster of 17 schools, all classrooms remain closed with some students still hovering around.Some of them are busily playing football with a few others riding bicycles which look a bit competitive nature. Another group of students, four of them are playing cards on a verandah with money spread in-front of them. �We are gambling�, said one of the students as he pointed his hand to few others quarrelling. �When we come to school and there is no teacher here, then they will say we should go and play football and put money on it as a trophy. So when you win, you take the money. Yes we call it gambling. They will say we are going to play chacha�, he revealed. According to this pupil, their action is only influenced by the absence of their teachers and hopes they return soon. �We are gambling because the teachers are not here. If there were teachers here, we will not gamble. So when the teacher is not here, we gamble�. In the midst of the difficulties, some BECE candidates are uncertain about their future as mock exams are postponed. Meanwhile, some senior high schools had their fair share of the impact of the industrial action as their end of term exams are postponed indefinitely because teachers are not available. Mary Kraah-Ampofo, Headmistress of the Kumasi Girls Senior High School, one of the affected schools, is worried over the development. A meeting she called to plead with teachers to rescind decision and supervise the exams ended in the negative. �It�s rather unfortunate that at this time when the students are preparing seriously for their internal exams, this has happened�, she sobbed.