Achimota School lists rasta student in NSMQ team while appealing his admission
• Tyrone Iras Marghuy has been named in the National Science and Maths Quiz team for Achimota school
• He is one of two rasta students whose admission was initially turned down by the school until a court decided otherwise
• The school is currently in court appealing their admission
Tyrone Iras Marghuy, one of the rasta students whose admission is being contested by Achimota School and the Attorney General’s Office, has been named as part of the school’s squad to compete in the National Science and Maths quiz.
This has been disclosed by a human rights activist and senior law lecturer, Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare, who wrote in a Facebook post “Achimota has named Tyrone Iras Marhguy in its squad for the National Maths and Science Quiz for the next two years and it is in court, with the assistance of the State, seeking to kick him out of the school. Look, our problems are simple. It is our solutions that complicate them. Congrats, Tyrone, ignore the noise!”
This new revelation comes at the back of recent developments in the case of two rasta students whose admission into Achimota school was upheld by a High Court after the school had initially decided against their admission.
Oheneba Kwaku Nkrabea and Tyrone Iras Murghuy were asked to either do away with their dreadlocks or forfeit their admission into Achimota School.
The students and their parents sued Achimota School, The Attorney General’s Office, the Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education for what they said was a violation of their fundamental human rights, and their right to religious practice.
The school and other defendants argued in court that the dreadlocks of the two rasta students was in variance with its rules and regulations.
However, a Human Rights Court of the Accra High Court, presided over by Justice Gifty Agyei Addo, on May 13, ruled that the fundamental human rights of the two students cannot be limited by the rules of the school.
The court held that Achimota School and other respondents in the case failed to justify the position of the school in denying the students admission.
The respondents have, however, gone back to court and are arguing that the High Court erred when it held that the rules and regulations of the school with regard to ensuring uniformity in appearance are unlawful, and interferes with one’s religious rights.
The school is thus urging the Appeals Court to set aside the judgement of the High Court and order the plaintiffs to comply with the school’s regulations if they choose to be students of the school.
The Attorney General in support of the school’s appeal is arguing that the decision by Achimota School does not interfere with the right to the education of the boys.
“The learned Judge erred when she held that the regulation of the 1st Respondent requiring that students keep their hair low amounted to an illegal and unconstitutional attempt to suspend the manifestation of the Applicant’s guaranteed freedom to practice and manifest his religion….
“The learned Judge erred when she held that Respondent’s actions of asking the Applicant to step aside during the registration process are a violation of his right to dignity especially when the 2nd Respondent had disputed the veracity of that fact,” parts of the appeal by the AG’s office stated.
It has, however, come to light that Oheneba Kwaku Nkrabea has transferred from Achimota School to Ghana International School where he has been offered full scholarship worth $160,000.
