Full Judgement: Rastafarian students versus Achimota Senior High School

• The High Court ordered Achimota School to enrol the two Rastafarian students

• The two Rasta students were denied enrollment because they had dreadlocks

The Human Rights Division of the Accra High Court presided over by Justice Gifty Agyei Addo on Tuesday ordered the Achimota Senior High School to admit two Rastafarian students it initially denied enrollment over failure to trim their dreadlocks.

The school authorities argued that it was against the school rules to admit students with such hairstyles.

The students, Tyron Iras Marhguy and Oheneba Kwaku Nkrabea, through their parents, sued the School’s Board of Governors, Education Minister, Ghana Education Service and the Attorney General to enforce their fundamental Human Rights.

According to Justice Addo, the fundamental human rights of two students cannot be limited.

She said, on the probabilities of the evidence that were adduced before the court, she doesn’t think the Achimota SHS and proponents, including the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Attorney General’s Department, have made a compelling argument as to why those two students should not be admitted, especially given their rights to education as well as their rights to express their religious freedom.

After the judgement on Monday, May 31, 2021, the Board of the school indicated in a statement that their disagreement with the court decision and subsequently announced that their lawyers have been instructed to appeal the judgement.

They proceeded in filing a stay of execution pending the determination of the appeal.

But in another statement issued on Wednesday, June 2, 2021, the governing Board of Achimota School said:

“Further to our statement issued on 1st June 2021 on the subject of two Rastafarian applicants, we have been in consultation with other relevant stakeholders to seek the best ways forward, taking into account the interests of all parties,” it said.

Adding that, “while the Board remains committed to the appeal against the High Court ruling, it will withdraw the application for a stay of execution pending the determination of the appeal by a higher court.”

Read below the full High Court judgement: