Achimota School has rejected a directive by the Ghana Education Service to admit two Rastafarian students. The directive followed an intense and sustained online protest against the decision of the Achimota school authorities. The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has called on the GES to redirect the management of the school. NAGRAT President Eric Angel Carbonu said the exemptions will lead to a chaotic school environment in the country. He said schools need to have universal rules and regulation that ought to be followed by all students in school.
The decision by the school comes after the school’s headmistress stated that parents will not compromise on their religious beliefs and allow their children to take off the deadlocks or students will be refused admission to the school, EIB’s Fritz Ameghashie reports. The GES over the weekend directed the headmistresses of Achimota School to admit the two teenage students whose admissions were withdrawn due to their dreadlocks. But after a crunch meeting on Monday, the Headmistress said the students will not be admitted.
“The school is not an environment to exhibit one’s religious beliefs,” he says.