Rastafarian and human rights advocate, Ras Aswad Nkrabea, has warned all second cycle institutions in the country to stop discrimination against Rastafarian students.
Ras Nkrabea, also known as Mervin Palmer, has threatened a court action against any school that continues to violate the constitutional rights of children on account of their dreadlocks.
In an open warning to all secondary schools in Ghana, Ras Nkrabea said fresh complaints show some SHS heads and PTAs are forcing Rastafarian children to cut their hair or hide it under turbans and headwear.
“This is still discrimination. Forcing a turban is a violation by another name,” the statement said.
Ras Nkrabea said many parents lack the power and legal knowledge to fight such discrimination and suffer in silence, adding that he is documenting every complaint to initiate the appropriate legal action if the practice continues.
He cited the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, Article 21(1)(c) on Freedom of Religion, Article 25 on Right to Education, and Articles 15 and 17 on Dignity and Non-Discrimination as legal basis for his warning.
The warning is grounded in the 2021 legal victory at Achimota School where Ras Nkrabea’s son and another student, Tyrone Marhguy, were denied admission because of their dreadlocks.
The two students sued Achimota School, and on May 31, 2021, the High Court ruled that no public school can deny a child education because of dreadlocks in the landmark case, Marhguy & Nkrabea vs Achimota.
The ruling settled the law on religious discrimination and hairstyle in public schools.
Ras Nkrabea is now demanding that all SHSs stop hair-cutting and hair-covering ultimatums and that the Ghana Education Service (GES) issues a public enforcement directive.
“Any school continuing to violate the constitutional rights of children will be dragged before the courts for punitive damages and constitutional breach,” he warned, citing his victory in 2021 and his readiness to take the matter up again.
“We fought in 2021, we won, and we are prepared to do it again. The era of unlawful traditions is over,” he added.
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