Achimota/Rasta Students: Court Ruling Is A Major Victory For Rastafarian Community - Kwesi Pratt

Kwesi Pratt has applauded the parents of the two Rastafarian students who were refused enrollment into the Achimota school for taking legal action.

The management of the Achimota School, in March this year, indicated that the school would allow the Rastafarian students named Tyron Iras Marhguy and Oheneba Kwaku Nkrabea to be enrolled only when they shave their dreadlocks.

The school insisted the students must cut their dreadlocks because it is in accordance with the school’s rules.

Parents of the students expressed their dissent to the decision by the Achimota school and sued the school, the Minister of Education, Ghana Education Service and the Attorney General.

They prayed the court to “declare that the failure and or refusal of the 1st Respondent (Achimota School Board of Governors) to admit or enroll the Applicant on the basis of his Rastafarian religious inclination, beliefs and culture characterized by his keeping of Rasta, is a violation of his fundamental human rights and freedoms guaranteed under the 1992 constitution particularly Articles 12(1), 23, 21(1)(b)(c)” and further requested ''an order directed at [Achimota School] to immediately admit or enrol the applicant to continue with his education unhindered'' and also sought compensation for the ''inconvenience, embarrassment, waste of time, and violation of his fundamental human rights and freedoms''.

The Human Rights Division of the Accra High Court presided over by Justice Gifty Agyei Addo ruled in favor of the students and ordered the Achimota School to admit them stressing their fundamental human rights cannot be limited by the rules.

Speaking on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', the Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper noted that seeking redress in court by the parents was the right way to settle the issue.

He commended the Rastafarian community for not resorting to violence or backing down but rather putting the laws of the nation to work.

To him, the court ruling is a ''major victory for the Rastafarian community''.