Veteran journalist Kwesi Pratt Jnr. has backed school authorities enforcing strict hairstyle regulations, arguing that the issue goes beyond aesthetics and directly impacts student health, discipline, and order in schools.
Pratt said the controversy over whether students should be allowed to keep long or styled hair overlooks serious hygiene concerns such as lice outbreaks in overcrowded dormitories.
“I’ve been to schools where there’s a lice epidemic,” he explained Speaking on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana, as monitored by MyNewsGh.
“When that happens, school authorities struggle to contain it. Hair is a major health issue, not just fashion.”
He added that Ghana’s boarding school system, with thousands of students and limited staff, demands structure and conformity to maintain discipline and equality.
“In every community, whether religion, police, or the army, there’s a degree of uniformity that holds things together. Schools are no different,” he said.
Pratt further noted that allowing unrestricted hairstyles could deepen inequality among students, as wealthier ones could afford expensive braids and extensions, creating unnecessary distractions.
“Imagine a girl with blue hair becoming the center of attraction while others can’t afford it. That disrupts learning,” he warned.
The veteran journalist also invoked the Rastafarian case ruling at Achimota School, emphasizing that courts had affirmed the importance of uniformity while balancing it against religious freedom.
“Uniformity is essential,” he stressed, “unless there’s a clear case of religious infringement.”
Pratt urged parents unhappy with these rules to consider homeschooling or private schools. “If you don’t want your child to be subject to regulations, homeschool them. But once they enter public schools, they must obey the rules.”
