US-based private legal practitioner, Prof Stephen Kwaku Asare, has said although the ruling by an Accra High Court compelling Achimota School to admit two Rastafarian students is sound, the court failed to impose costs on the school.
“State actors do not learn unless their illegal actions come at a price,†Prof Asare, known popularly as Prof Azar, justified his position in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
In a ruling on Monday, May 31, 2021, that brought joy to many Ghanaians, the court ordered Achimota School to admit the two Rastafarian Junior High School graduates it rejected earlier because of their dreadlocks.
The Human Rights Division of the Accra High Court 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 the dreadlocks the students were wearing was against the school's code on decency.
Commenting on the saga, Prof Azar said it was fundamentally wrong for the two students to be denied their right to education and for that matter, they deserve to be compensated.
“There was no reason for the young boys to be denied their right to education and they deserve to be compensated and Achimota deserves to be penalized for the infringement of their right.
“The Attorney-General should not defend every unlawful action taken by a state agency. It should protect the constitution and advice agencies so that they do not take unconstitutional actions. It was too clear that this grooming policy was unconstitutional and we could have been saved from this needless drama,†the Accounting Professor wrote on his Facebook wall.
Meanwhile, Achimota School has vowed to appeal the ruling of the High Court in the coming days.