Tereo Marghuy, the father of one of the Rastafarian boys whose admission to Achimota School has become controversial, says he suspects the school’s Old Students Association to be instigating the Attorney General’s appeal against the High Court’s ruling that went in their favour earlier this year.
He said while he is not surprised about the appeal, he finds it curious that the Attorney General’s office would go ahead with an appeal despite conceding to the ruling in court.
Mr Marghuy said the appeal is ill-motivated, especially as his son has already settled in the school environment, and has even been listed among the school’s candidates for the annual National Science and Maths Quiz in two years’ time.
“If they had filed the appeal shortly after the ruling, it would have made sense, but now he [Tyrone Marghuy] has been in the school and they have even added him to the squad for the National Maths and Science Quiz for the next two years… It is not really okay. I think there are some people behind the scenes who are not working in favour of the school,” he said.
In a notice of appeal, the Attorney General said the High court judge, Justice Gifty Agyei Addo, who had earlier 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 request by the school for the boys to cut their hair before being admitted was not a violation of their rights to education, as the judge averred.
The AG’s office said the trial judge also failed to appreciate the effect of placing the needed weight on the rules and regulations of Achimota School, which borders on the accepted hairstyles of students.
But speaking on Eyewitness News, Mr Marghuy said he believes that the majority of Ghanaians are behind them.
“I am not surprised because I realized along the line that they will appeal. That loss they had was something that they couldn’t take… How could a whole Attorney-General be in favour of the ruling and suddenly not be in favour of the ruling? I think it is something that is happening in the background, behind the scene, that makes them think they should go for the appeal. My suspicion is that it is the old students behind the scenes [but]. I know most Ghanaians are in our favour,” he said.
