A court in Accra has ordered Achimota School to admit two Rastafarian students it rejected earlier because of their dreadlocks.
The Human Rights Division of the Accra High Court has asked the prestigious school to admit Tyrone Murghuy and Oheneba Nkrabea whose rejection by the school grabbed headlines for weeks.
The school justified its decision not to admit the students on grounds that they had dreadlocks, which was against the school's code of decency.
Filing as different cases at the same court, lawyers of Marghguy and Nkrabea argued similarly that the rights of the students have been violated by the school’s actions.
READ ALSO:Â BoG reduces policy rate to 13.5%
The Rastafarian students were prevented from beginning the academic year at the Achimota School because of their dreadlocks, a decision that attracted criticism from a number of Ghanaians.
The Ghana Education Service (GES) stepped in by issuing a directive to Achimota School to allow the students but the school rejected it.
The Old Students Association and the Parents and Teachers Association of Achimota also backed the school to reject the GES directive.
The President of the Old Achimotans Association, Prof. Ernest Aryeetey described the decision by the GES as undermining the authority of the school's governing board.
Â
The PTA Chairman, Dr. Andre Kwasi-Kumah, in a statement, said the school's rules that insist that all students must keep their hair low, simple and natural cannot be compromised or exceptions made.
Furthermore, the President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Angel Carbonu suggested that if Rastafarians want their children to keep their dreadlocks on in senior high schools (SHS), then they should set up their own schools in Ghana.
Â