Dreadlocks Saga: Achimota School refuses to comment on controversy

Achimota School is in the spotlight after parents of two students said their wards were denied enrollment because they had dreadlocks.

This development has generated reactions, especially on social media with people expressing varying views.

An affected parent named Raswad Menkrabea took to Facebook to express his displeasure on the school's position.

GhanaWeb visited the school to get the institution’s side of the story, however, all attempts to get the authorities to speak to the allegation proved futile.

Our initial report: Achimota School has denied my son admission because of his dreadlocks – Rastafarian dad claims

A beleaguered father has called out one of Ghana’s elite secondary schools, Achimota over what he describes as ‘gross human right violation’ after the institution allegedly refused his ward admission.

Raswad Menkrabea while sharing his ordeal on Facebook alleged that authorities of Achimota School rejected his dreadlocked son with claims that ‘their rules do not allow students with dreadlocks to be admitted.’

He furthered that his son together with another boy were rejected after they were posted to the school by the Computer Placement System this year.

“The school authorities denied two brilliant dreadlock students from being admitted after having been posted there by the Computer School Placement System. 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,” parts of his post read.

As a Rastafarian, Mr Menkrabea maintained that his son had the right to any culture of his will once it did not breach the 1992 Constitution.



Read his full post below:

Fellow Comrades and Friends,

This morning, the school authorities of Achimota School claimed that their rules do not allow students with dreadlocks to be admitted. The school authorities denied two brilliant dreadlock students from being admitted after having been posted there by the Computer School Placement System. 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 in so far as such culture do 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.

The fundamental questions to ask is what does our law say about right to one's culture? Do you deny a child access to education based on his/her culture? Do public school rules override the supreme law of the land?

Tomorrow I will be on TV3 to share some light. Will give update on time.

Thank you for the Solidarity.

Ras Aswad Nkrabeah