Audio By Carbonatix
The Ghana Education Service (GES) has instructed authorities of the Achimota School to admit the two first-year students who reported on campus with dreadlocks.
This follows massive debate on social media after reports that the school had refused to admit the children although they gained admission.
According to JoyNews’ sources, school authorities had claimed it is against the rules of the school for students to have dreadlocks.
But a parent whose son was among those denied admission described the situation as unfair.
Taking to Facebook to share the story, Raswad Menkrabea explained that his son got posted to Achimota School through the Computerised School Placement System.
He said his son, Oheneba Nkrabeah, and another boy, Irah Marhguy were however denied access to education because of their culture and belief.
"My son was one of the affected children and the other student was also refused on the same grounds. We have no option but to battle against this gross human right violation. As a child, he has every right to his culture so far as such culture does not breach the 1992 Constitution.
"He equally deserves the right to access education within his culture just like other cultural believers.
"As a Rastafarian, I think that dreadlocks do no way cause any harm which should even be a basis to be asserted by the school authorities," he wrote.
The post received massive support from some Ghanaians including former MP for Kumbugu, Ras Muburak, who urged the School to rescind its decision.
According to the MP, the move is a violation of articles 21(1)(c), 25(1), 26(1) 28(3) and 28(4) of the 1992 Constitution which is the Supreme law of the land.
“Not accepting them into the school because of their dreadlocks is degrading treatment which is frowned upon under article 28(3). The school may have its rules, but those rules and all other rules and laws are subservient to the constitution of Ghana. The supreme law of the land is the constitution,” he wrote on Facebook.
However, reacting to the development, the Director-General of GES, Professor Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa said authorities of Achimota School cannot refuse to admit the two students.
"You cannot say that you will not admit someone on the basis of the person's religious belief and so we have asked the head to allow the children to be in school," he explained.
Latest Stories
-
Civilian hospitalised after alleged machete attack by prison officers, inmates
12 minutes -
Toobu rejects calls to recall Parliament over 3.9-tonne cocaine shipment
54 minutes -
Residents in 5 Northern Regions warned of approaching rainstorm
56 minutes -
Constituency Games still a work in progress – Sports Minister
1 hour -
Team Ghana set for historic Karting Africa Showrun in Angola
1 hour -
52-year-old South African arrested with suspected heroin after arriving from Accra
2 hours -
Shatta Wale challenges UPSA students to build entrepreneurial mindsets
2 hours -
Finance Minister advises African governments to strengthen regional tax cooperation
4 hours -
NPP accuses NDC of master-minding demolition of Ho regional office fence
4 hours -
Ghana plans stronger regional power trade with Nigeria
4 hours -
GRA Commissioner-General calls for stronger tax cooperation to boost regional revenue mobilisation
4 hours -
NACOC needs more personnel to tackle drug trafficking – Toobu
4 hours -
Railway workers resist KMA eviction order, demand consultation
4 hours -
Legacy Leadership Africa Institute to host boardroom women’s leadership programme
4 hours -
Ghana needs a law to sustain constitutional reforms – CDD-Ghana
7 hours