It’s ludicrous to claim Rasta students are brilliant so they should be enrolled at Achimota school – Adom-Otchere

Paul Adom-Otchere says it is ludicrous for people to say Master Tyrone Iras Marhguy is brilliant and smart so he should be allowed at Achimota school.

According to him, all those who qualified to go to Achimota school are equally brilliant and smart but that is not enough to get him enrolled against the rules of Achimota school.

“When we were in Presec when people flouted the school rules and the punishment was for them to be dismissed, did they check their terminal report before they dismissed them?” Paul Adom-Otchere asked rhetorically.

“I think it is the most ludicrous argument I have heard that he is brilliant so he should be allowed in… what does that mean?

“That is total hogwash,” Paul Adom-Otchere said on Good Evening Ghana on Thursday evening.

He argued that if the school rules are to be looked at again, that should be the narrative and not the brilliance of a would-be student who doesn’t want to obey school rules.

“Which of the candidates admitted to Achimota is not brilliant? Which of the candidates admitted to Presec is not brilliant? Which of the candidates admitted to Labone Secondary School is not brilliant?”

“All the children these days are brilliant. The reason why we are concerned about the politics of our society which must be better…”

He indicated that Ghana has great potential with the young ones “so please let’s stop this hogwash argument that somebody is brilliant so he must be allowed in”.

Background

The authorities of Achimota School in Accra on Thursday refused to enrol two dreadlock students, asking the parents to cut off their hair or find another school for them.

The news has since caught national attention.

After public outrage, the Ghana Education Service (GES) which granted the boys admission through its electronic selection system, initially instructed Achimota School to enrol the two first-year students who had reported to the school.

Professor Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa, Director-General of GES told the Daily Graphic: “We have asked her [headmistress] to admit the students.

The student is a Rastafarian and if there is evidence to show that he is Rastafarian, all that he needs to do is to tie the hair neatly.”

But the GES on Monday, 22 March, backtracked on that earlier directive, this time siding with the headmistress of Achimota School.

There is a huge public controversy about the school rules which have not yet been made known to the public.

It appears therefore that the headmistress and her management are giving a different interpretation to the school rules.

Social media is awash with pictures of students of the same Achimota School who have different hairstyles but have been allowed.

In almost all cases these appear to be foreigners who have white skin.

Some defenders of Achimota school have argued that those foreign students are not usually enrolled for a long term, but details remain to be confirmed.