The Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare, has encouraged parents and students to take legal action if they believe they have been unfairly treated under the recent hairstyle directive issued by Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu.
Mr. Asare’s comments follow the Minister’s instruction to the Ghana Education Service (GES) and heads of second-cycle institutions to take full responsibility for managing student conduct — including grooming and personal appearance.
Speaking during the 75th Anniversary celebration of Mawuli Senior High School, the Minister emphasized that schools are meant to instill discipline and character, not serve as “beauty contests.”
Mr. Asare said that while the directive promotes uniformity and hygiene, it must also respect students’ fundamental rights.
“It’s not always about indiscipline or discipline,” he noted. “I align with the law, and I encourage anyone who feels unfairly treated to engage the law. Society grows, and so should the law grow.”
Mr. Asare stressed that enforcing discipline in schools must go hand in hand with fairness, inclusivity, and respect for personal dignity. He cited the landmark 2021 case of Tyrone Iras Marhguy, the Achimota School student denied admission for wearing dreadlocks, who later won a court ruling affirming his right to education and religious expression.
“Marhguy argued that his dreadlocks were a manifestation of his Rastafarian faith. The court upheld that schools may regulate hairstyles, but such rules cannot violate constitutional rights to religion and culture,” Mr. Asare explained.
He added that the court’s decision established a clear precedent for balancing school regulations with individual freedoms, urging stakeholders to align disciplinary policies with Ghana’s constitutional principles.
