Child Rights International has vowed to fight the Attorney General’s office and the Achimota School after the two filed an appeal to overturn a high court ruling requiring the school to admit two Rastafarian boys with dreadlocks.
The Attorney General stated in the notice of appeal obtained by Citi News that the High Court judge, Justice Gifty Agyei Addo, who had previously ruled that the two Rastafarian boys, Tyrone Marhguy and Ohene Nkrabea, be admitted to the school with their dreadlocks, erred.
According to the AG, the school’s request that the boys cut their hair before being admitted did not violate their right to an education, as the judge claimed.
According to the AG’s office, the trial judge also failed to recognize the importance of giving Achimota School’s rules and regulations, which include student hairstyles.
Bright Appiah, Executive Director of Child Rights International, told Citi News that his organization would continue to support Tyrone Marhguy in order to protect his interests.
He expressed surprise that the Attorney General’s Office would take such a step.
“In all matters, the state is to act as a parent for children, and so if the AG is proceeding to court on certain matters involving the fundamental rights of children to education, it is contradictory,” he said.
Bright Appiah went on to say that their lawyers have already responded to the notice of appeal and will see the process through to the end.
“We have already prepared our minds and the minds of our clients for this.” We will find ways and means to deal with this situation… The lawyers received the appeal and responded to the court. They will represent Marghuy in this case, and we are prepared to go to court to fight this matter to the bitter end.”
Background
On Monday, May 31, 2021, the Accra High Court issued its decision regarding the denial of admission to Achimota School for two Rastafarian boys, Tyrone Marhguy and Oheneba Nkrabea, because they did not cut their dreadlocks.
The Presiding Judge, Justice Gifty Adjei Addo, disagreed with the Attorney General’s submissions and granted all of the reliefs sought separately by the embattled students except compensation in the case of Tyrone Marhguy.
According to Justice Addo, the Attorney General’s suggestion that the two were not students in the first place is absurd.
As a result, Justice Gifty Adjei Addo ordered that the two Rastafarian students be admitted to Achimota School.
Following the court’s decision, Achimota School announced through its board that it would appeal the decision.
The school then attempted to obtain a stay of execution order in order to halt the order’s execution, but later announced that the decision had been withdrawn.
Also read: Admit Rastafarian student, Oheneba Nkrabea
The school board, in a statement issued on Wednesday, June 2, 2021, stated that it is committed to appealing the High Court’s decision.
The two boys were later admitted to the school.
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