Audio Attachment:Listen to Nana Akomea on Peace FM's 'kokrokoo' programme. |
The Managing Director of the Intercity STC Coaches Limited, Nana Akomea has shot down arguments about whether or not Rastafarians should be allowed to spot their dreadlocks in Ghana's Senior High Schools (SHS).
There are ongoing arguments for and against students with dreadlocks going to Senior High Schools and these arguments have arisen due to Achimota School's refusal to admit two Rasta students.
The school authorities stood their ground in asking the students to cut their dreadlocks before they would be enrolled.
At a meeting with the management of the Ghana Education Service (GES), the headmistress of the school, Mrs Majorie Affenyi and the parents of one of the students in Accra on Monday, the headmistress maintained that the students had not been denied admission to the school but rather the decision was for them to cut their dreadlocks to conform to the rules of the school.
The father of the student, Mr Ras Aswad Nkrabea, who sat in the meeting, told the Daily Graphic that the headmistress insisted the school would not bend its rules with respect to admission.
"The GES and the headmistress of the Achimota School came together and said my son cuts his hair. That is the position both of them took," Ras Nkrabea said.
He further told Daily Graphic that his next decision is to "take it to court and there's no question about that. We are trying to find another school now for him".
Discussing the brouhaha between the Achimota school and parents of the students, Nana Akomea noted that arguments that the action taken by the Achimota school authorities is an infringement on the students' freedom of religion is neither here nor there.
Speaking to host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', he stated emphatically that Ghana doesn't recognize Rasta religion.
He believed if the students were Muslims, they would have been enrolled into the Achimota school or any public school in the country without facing rejection.
"That religion called Rasta is not recognized in Ghana . . . What has happened wouldn't have happened if we recognized it. If the child who was admitted into Achimota school was wearing hijab, won't he have been accepted? He would have been accepted because we recognize that religion. There wouldn't have been any problem if he had a hijab on", he said, also stressing that "we have freedom of religion, freedom of worship but you know the rights that the constitution gives, there has to be rules to exercise that right. We have the right to vote but you must go through a procedure. You must go through rules . . ."
Rastafarianism is a religion that reportedly developed in Jamaica during the 1930s and Rastas believe in Haile Selassie, the Emperor of Ethiopia between 1930 and 1974, as their religious icon.
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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This issue demands common sense approach. The question is what would be the effect on his school mates if he is admitted. Ghana is the only country on earth that has more educated ***barred word*** because Ghanaians equate common sense to one's education level/academic achievement- this is not true. Society keeps changing and citizens are obliged to accept reforms. We live with LGBT and nobody has a right to determine /approve anyone's sexual orientation, period. Not even the law court nor the president has that right. We live in a science driven society and that should be our focus
You accept mayaafi, wig and leave European students to keep their hair because you can't ask or force a white person to cut their hair BUT they will force and bully their own black people for cut their hair either male or female but cannot ask a white or Lebanese to do the same. You see how white culture education destroy our country. We are still in slavery and we will forever be. Judge the student on his character and not his appearance. If an India, jew, European, Americans, Lebanese, or chinese come to school here they don't force or bully them to cut their hair but only Ghanaians both male and female whether you like it or not. Joking country
It would be a mistake of a life time if the Rastafarian parents deny their ward the opportunity to gain admission into finest Achimota school. To me the student can re-grow dreadlocks after completing the school he he wishes to do so.
So everyone so should ware anything to school.... Can fetish child put on any clothes for school... Everyone has policy.
Ahh, Nana Akomea, I have always held you high in terms of issues understanding until now, am short of words. The boy is a student and he is in to acquire knowledge, if he happened to be your son would you have been happy?, I have known a boy who has a peculiar problem of swollen head whenever he tried to have a haircut, until the parents decided not to have him cut his hair, if such a boy is denied education because of a certain so called standards will it be fair in human treatment?, Let's do the right thing Equality and equity, which is which