Issues at Achimota School have to do with compliance – Nsowah

A former Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) Mr Michael Nsowah has said that the issues at the Achimota School regarding the refusal to admit students with dreadlocks border on compliance of rules and regulations.

He said every school has rules and regulations that students must abide by.

Mr Nsowah who is also a former Chair of the GES Council told TV3’s Dela Michel in an interview on the Mid Day news on Tuesday, March 23 that “The issue of Achimota is the issue of complying with the rules and regulations of the system.

“When the GES issued the placement to be enrolled in the school you need to report to the school and be given your prospectus and the rules and regulations in the school. If you are satisfied with whatever is given you then you will be properly enrolled or registered.

“If you don’t accept the rules and regulations as pertains in the school, then, of course, you will not be enrolled. That is something that every school

“Every school has its own traditions and that is something has been built over many years, the specific school regulations cannot be the same. You can compare PRESEC and Achimota which are very close but they have different traditions.”

The Achimota School Parent Teacher Association (PTA) executive have said they unreservedly and unequivocally support the schools decision to enforce its rules with respect to the admission of three students with dreadlocks hairstyle.

A statement signed by Dr Andre Kwasi-Kumah, Chairman of the PTA quoted the schools rules saying “According to the school’s revised rules and regulations (August 2020) Section H (General Appearance) item 3 states that ‘students must keep their hair low, simple and natural’.

“We, therefore, stand with the headmistress and welcome into our fold parents who are ready to abide by the rules and regulation of Achimota.”

On Monday, March 22, the old Students of Achimota School also raised issues with the directive issued to the school authority by the GES.

They said even though the GES has the right to issue such directives, the matter involving the students with dreadlocks should be left at the hands of the governing board to be dealt with.

The Director-General of the GES Professor Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa told authorities at the Achimota School to allow students with dreadlocks to be in school.

He said in an interview with the Daily Graphic that “So you cannot say that you will not admit someone on the basis of the person’s religious beliefs and so we have asked the head to allow the children to be in school.”

But in a statement President of the Old Students Association of the Achimota School, Professor Ernest Aryeetey said “Even though the practice of GES officials issuing directives to schools is fairly common in Ghana, the current situation is probably the clearest example of a significant breach in the formal arrangements for school governance and regulation.

“We are concerned about the action taken by the Director-General and have therefore requested that he rescinds the directive and allows the Governing Board to handle the matter.”