The High Court’s Human Rights Division has denied a request from the lawyer representing the Achimota School to consolidate two suits filed against it by Oheneba Nkrabea and Tyrone Marhguy, two students denied admission due to their dreadlocks.
In response, the Judge, Lady Gifty Addo, stated that granting the request will not be for the expedited nature in which she wants the case to run, especially since both cases would ultimately require their own judgment.
However, the school, in this case, filed its affidavit in opposition to the case on Friday, April 30, 2021, which the judge stated prevented her from reviewing the document.
The school has yet to submit its written submission.
The court thus gave the school five working days to file it before hearing the case on May 14, 2021.
Meanwhile, the GHS10,000 requested by Oheneba Nkrabea’s lawyer, Wayoe Ghanamannti, against the Achimota school was denied.
He justified the request by claiming that it was to pay for Oheneba’s homeschooling while the case was in court.
It was reported about three weeks ago that Achimota School had denied two Rastafarians admission despite the fact that they had been placed there by the Ghana Education Service’s Computerized School Selection and Placement Service (CSSPS).
The school insisted that its policy requires all students or prospective students to have a short haircut as a condition of admission.
As a result, it stated that the two Rastafarians must cut their dreadlocks if they want to be admitted. The two students insisted, and as a result, they were denied admission.
The Ghana Education Service (GES) later ordered Achimota School to admit the students, but it later reversed its decision.
One of the Rastafarians who went to his second choice of school, Saint John’s Grammar School, was denied admission because of his dreadlocks.
Tyron Marhguy filed a lawsuit against Achimota School in response to calls for legal action to be taken against the school.
Oheneba Nkrabea sues Achimota School
Oheneba Kwaku Nkrabea also took Achimota School, the Board of Governors of Achimota School, the Ghana Education Service, the Ministry of Education, and the Attorney General to court, requesting that the Human Rights Division of the High Court order Achimota School to admit him for educational purposes.
Also read: Story so far: Achimota School vs dreadlocked students
He also wants the court to prevent the school from ever discriminating against him because of his “religion and or creed.”
Oheneba Kwaku Nkrabea prayed to the court to among other things make “a declaration that requiring Oheneba Kwaku Nkrabea a child and adherent of the Rastafari religion and creed, to either cut his hair or forfeit admission into Achimota School, a public senior high school, is a violation of his rights to dignity…contrary to articles 15 and 28(3) of the Constitution, 1992 and section 13 of the Children’s Act 1998 (Act 560)”.
Oheneba Kwaku Nkrabea’s suit follows that of Tyron Marhguy, another Rastafarian who was denied admission to the school.
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