Kwesi Pratt defends school hairstyle rules, warns against 'absurd' freedom in appearance

Veteran journalist and Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr, has thrown his support behind the enforcement of grooming and uniform regulations in schools, stressing that they are vital for maintaining discipline and enhancing learning.

Speaking on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana on October 29, 2025, Pratt argued that appearance rules should not be dismissed as irrelevant to education.

“Everywhere, in every community, there’s a certain degree of uniformity. That is what identifies the community. That is what identifies order,” he said.

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He criticised those who claim that hairstyles have no bearing on academic performance.

“Tomorrow morning, someone can say the type of shoe you wear has nothing to do with catching a thief, so policemen can go to work barefoot. We can drag this to the level of absurdity. That’s what is happening in this case. Hairstyle has a lot to do with learning,” he indicated.

Pratt noted that many people commenting on the issue fail to appreciate the realities of life in boarding schools.

Drawing on his own experience, he said he entered boarding school at age eleven and spent most of his educational years there.

“Some of the students come to school on the first day of the term and do not go home until the very last day because they cannot afford transportation. They never get visitors throughout the three months they stay on campus. There have even been instances where teachers had to contribute money to help children go home at the end of the term,” he recounted.

He also questioned suggestions that schools should permit hairdressers to come on campus to attend to students’ hair.

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“Are these the kind of students who can afford that?” he asked.

Pratt’s remarks come amid renewed public debates over whether students, particularly in mission and government-assisted schools, should be allowed to keep long hair.

MRA/AE

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