Students at a top institution in Singapore had a rude shock when they came back to class to find some of their personal belongings missing.

Was it the work of an intruder or a dishonest student? Neither, apparently.

The 'theft' was the work of teachers, who sought to teach careless students "a lesson they'll never forget", for leaving their valuables around unattended.

Teachers at Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) would take items such as wallets and other valuables left behind in classrooms, and inform students on their whereabouts at the end of the day, reported one student who wrote in to citizen journalism website, STOMP. "They were made to write apology letters before they could claim the items."

But as the student asked, "is this move really necessary and moral?"

In the email to STOMP, the Hwa Chong student wrote: "I have seen the panic and despair of my friends and classmates when they had discovered that they lost their belongings. One of my friends lost his wallet, with cash, his EZ-link card and even his IC inside.

"Before we knew that the school had taken them, we even suggested to him that he make a police report. This is the severity of such an action.

"One of my friends brought his laptop to do schoolwork, but he is denied this opportunity to do so by the school. I believe that he is not the only one.

"Furthermore, some of us are required to move from class to class between lessons. This would mean that locking of the classrooms is impractical as a solution to this. Furthermore if a thief is really that determined to break into the class, he can climb through the windows or break them.

"Must we all then, get metal chains to chain all of our belongings by our side wherever we go anywhere in school?

"I don't see why the students, being potential victims of theft, should be punished for being just that."