Executive Director of Africa Education Watch (EduWatch), Kofi Asare, has urged Ghanaians who disagree with school regulations on students’ appearance to seek legal redress rather than debate them emotionally.
Kofi Asare, speaking on Metro TV’s Good Afternoon Ghana on Monday, October 27, 2025, said current laws back the Ghana Education Service (GES) and school authorities to enforce grooming and disciplinary standards, as long as such rules don’t violate students’ religious rights.
He referenced the landmark Achimota School and Rastafarian case, explaining that the court’s ruling clarified how far schools can go with their regulations.
“The education service rules have been tested in courts under the Achimota and Rastafarian case,” he said.
“The court said that schools may have the right to impose their rules and regulations as part of regulating dressing and hairstyles. However, in doing so, they should not interfere in one’s right to religion.”
Kofi Asare noted that in the Achimota case, the court sided with two Rastafarian students because their hairstyle was tied to their religious beliefs.
“The court said that insofar as keeping their hair that way was a way of manifesting their religion, asking them to cut their hair or denying them admission was discrimination on religious grounds,” he explained.
He was, however, quick to add that beyond religion and health-related reasons, schools have every right to enforce uniformity.
“So far as the law is concerned, the law now is on the side of schools maintaining regulations on appearance insofar as those regulations do not frown upon religious rights,” he said.
“If there’s anything like that [religious claim], then she can engage the courts and seek redress.”
He stressed that the courts have already provided guidance for future disputes.
“Before Maguire & co versus Achimota, there wasn’t any explicit law,” he said.
“Now, the court says you can admit the hairstyle only on religious grounds and of course, on health grounds too. So, if we have issues with the law, we can go and then seek review in the courts.”
Kofi Asare also argued that the boarding nature of Ghana’s secondary education makes uniformity necessary for effective management.
“Close to 90% of our students are boarders. No country does that in the world,” he noted.
“If you have 5,500 students in one school, one of the ways you can manage them effectively is to ensure uniformity in how they appear and behave. That’s why we have common uniforms, hairstyles, and languages.”
His comments follow Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu’s recent directive to school heads to “take full control” of student behaviour.
At the 75th anniversary celebration of Mawuli School, the Education Minister said schools must maintain discipline and avoid turning campuses into “beauty contests.”
“If we give in to hair today, tomorrow it will be shoes and the next day it will be the way they dress,” the Minister warned.
The EduWatch boss believes the minister’s stance is “consistent with the law” and urged those who disagree to use the proper legal channels.
“The minister’s pronouncement is consistent with the law. The GES regulations are consistent with the law,” he said.
“If we have issues with the law, let’s go to court.”
Source: metrotvonline.com
