Achimota School, Rastafarian brouhaha: you are over trivializing the matter, just stay off it – Martin Kpebu tells Lydia Alhassan

A Legal Practitioner and Constitutional Lawyer, Martin Kpebu has taken a swipe at the Member of Parliament for the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency, Lydia Seyram Alhassan over comment she made on the floor of parliament in the ongoing discussions about the Achimota School, Rastafarian students admission brouhaha.

Ms Alhassan in contributing to the discussions on whether to allow or not to allow Rastafarian students admission in various Senior High Schools with their dreadlocks questioned whether the time likely to be spent by the students in caring for their hair could have any effect on their studies.

“Now the question is whether the values of the school are negotiable or non negotiable, if a child comes to school and he has to spend a lot of hours washing his hair, treating the hair, using chemical that he has to store and also spending a lot of time he could using to learn to treat his hair would this take way from the time that the boy will need to learn. Our rule says that the hair must be kept low, simple and natural,” she said.

Reacting to the comment on Key Point on TV3 on Saturday, March 28, monitored by GhanaPlus.com, Mr Kpebu said the MP’s comment sought to over trivialize the matter under discussion and urged that should not be encouraged.

“The honourable member, the one who said it take too much time to dress their hair, it is Lydia Alhassan? How much time its needed to wash the hair, I think she was over trivializing the matter, I mean I can’t believe that is what an MP will do , we shouldn’t encourage that”.

According to him, if the students were able to go through their basic level of education with their Rastafarian hair and passed with flying colours then the MP’s comment was basically out of place.

“So the simple answer to her question is that, that is how the young men manage their hair and pass the Junior Secondary exams so to the extent that they have done it before, as to how much time they spend washing their hair, she should just stay off it, I can’t believe it, you will just be going too far into their lives,” Mr Kpebu said.

Achimota School direct Rastafarian students to cut hair in conformity with school rules

Whether to allow Rastafarian students to go to school with their dreadlocks or not has become the number one topic of discussion for weeks after  Achimota School in Accra  asked students of the Rastafarian religion to cut down their hair per the regulations of the school.

The issue has since created factions among the Ghanaians populace  including Members of Parliament, some of them were of the believe that no child deserve to be denied access to education on the grounds of religion and hair style.

Others were also of the view that the matters boils down on rules and regulations of the institution and that if one sole wish to join the school then their rules must be obeyed, regardless.

Source: GhanaPlus.com