Obey Court Ruling On Rastafarian Students – GNAT Urges Members At Achimota School
The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has urged its members at Achimota School to obey the court ruling regarding the admission of the Rastafarian students.
According to the Association’s General Secretary Thomas Musa, “this ruling will not affect teacher-student relationship” if handled in the right manner.
This comes after the Governing Board of the Achimota School announced its decision to appeal the ruling by the Human Right Division of the Accra High Court, ordering it to admit the two teenagers.
The Rastafarian students, Tyrone Iras Marhguy and Oheneba Kwaku Nkrabea dragged the Achimota School Board of Governors, the Minister of Education, Ghana Education Service, and the Attorney General to court for refusing to enrol them. Achimota School insisted that they comply with the School’s regulations by shaving their dreadlocks.
The ruling that went against the school authorities delivered by Justice Gifty Agyei was received with displeasure, triggering measures to appeal the verdict, per a June 1 communiqué.
But speaking on PM Express, Thomas Musa explained that tutors in the institution concerned must take the directive in good faith and pursue their mandate of delivering quality education.
“As professionals, we will behave accordingly and ensure that the best comes out of the children that we teach because we are professionals,” he said on Tuesday.
The GNAT General Secretary further advised all stakeholder to carefully peruse the full details of the court ruling to appreciate the ramification on the broader education sector.
Meanwhile, Executive Director of Child Rights International, Bright Appiah believes the ruling ordering Achimota School to admit two Rastafarian students is still in force despite the institution’s decision to contest it.
“Once a ruling has been given, all the things that are required for the fulfilment of that ruling, for me, should continue and then we would ensure that the lawyer for Tyrone would enforce that and then whatever we need to ensure that their fundamental rights are protected, we will also go ahead and do that,” he said