President of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Rev. Isaac Owusu, has called for a legislative instrument to back Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu’s directive banning long or styled hair in schools, stressing that such a move will ensure effective implementation and compliance across the country.

Speaking at the Mawuli Senior High School’s 75th anniversary in the Volta Region, the Minister said the education authorities were not going to tolerate any long hair “today or tomorrow” and added the secondary school environment was not a place for a beauty contest.”

Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Rev. Owusu commended Mr. Iddrisu for taking a firm stance on the issue of student grooming but noted that without legal backing, the directive could face enforcement challenges.

“I appreciate what the Education Minister has said concerning hair in our schools, but for the implementation to be effective, we must go a step further. A lot of the rules in our schools have no legal backing, so even if someone takes us to court, based on the constitution, the school is compelled to rescind a decision,” he stated.

Luckily for us, Haruna Iddrisu is an MP, and in this country, for legislation to work, there must be legal backing. So I will appeal to him to take this to Parliament under the certificate of urgency to ensure enforcement,” he added.

He referenced Article 14 of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, which guarantees personal liberty but also allows for restrictions in specific cases, including those related to the education and welfare of minors.

“Article 14, Clause 1(e), makes it clear that a person’s liberty may be restricted to ensure the education or welfare of a minor. We are not saying people are not entitled to their freedom, but once you are a minor going to a boarding house as a student, you must abide by certain rules and regulations that do not interfere with your sound mind to learn,” he explained.

Rev. Owusu further argued that many school regulations, such as those governing the Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) and the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy, would benefit from parliamentary instruments to eliminate ambiguity and controversy.

“There are a lot of rules and regulations in our schools that need legislative instruments to back us. If Parliament helps with the legislation, it will settle a lot of controversies and issues,” he emphasized.

His comments come in the wake of the Education Minister’s recent declaration that students will not be permitted to wear unapproved hairstyles in schools, a statement that has reignited national debate over personal expression, discipline, and cultural norms within Ghana’s education system.