The subject of why students in Senior High Schools (SHS) are made to cut their hair has been broached with some controversial views, after 3 students of the St John’s Grammar were disallowed from writing the paper in the ongoing West African Senior Secondary School Certificate examination (WASSCE).
The students failed to cut what the headmaster of the school Emmanuel Ofoe Fiemawhle deemed “bushy” and “unkempt.”
The news has generated some angry response to the headmaster’s decision and the reasoning behind such several decade-long rules has been questioned.
The Vice President of the National Association of Graduate Association (NAGRAT), Angel Kabonu has explained that unlike Ghanaians, Caucasian students in Ghana are not allowed to cut their hair because it makes them look ugly.
“What I gathered was that when Caucascians students cut their hair to the level of black ladies, it makes them look very ugly and it can even affect their looks so Caucasian students are not allowed to cut their hair.There is no rule in the Ghana Education Service concerning Caucasians in Ghana because we are not Caucasians , we are negroes.”
He made the comments while sharing his thoughts on the story of some students at the St. John Grammar School who were prevented from writing the West African Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for keeping their hair bushy.
Afro Hair for Fashion
Kabonu explained that most students are discouraged from keeping unkempt and bushy hair because in some cases they use it for either fashion or to engage in examination malpractices.
” Sometimes when they are about to leave school, they try to keep their hair so that when they leave school they are able to go and do perming and whatever they want to do with it…You cannot keep Afro hair that will look as if you are performing in Hollywood.You are in school and you are supposed to behave uniformly so as to ensure that the objective for which you are in school is achieved so when students have bushy hair, they are asked to cut the hair so as not to flaunt it as if it is a fashion show that we have in school.”
Kabonu pointed out that school authorities are to ensure that students dress properly without students questioning the basis for that particular instruction.
“Obedience to rules is part of the upbringing and training to be a proper person in society,” he said.
Basis for rules
Though Kabonu did not support the decision to exempt students from writing the exams, he stated that such rules have been introduced by the GES to deal with some challenges.
Below are some of the challenges that according to Kabournu, influenced the GES to introduce such rules.
.Exam Malpractices
Kabonu explained that students in some instances “put materials in their hair and take it to the examination centre”
He said students have on several times been caught with such materials in their hair.
.Distraction
Kabonu said the “maintenance of a bushy hair also distracts the students from concentrating” on their academic work. Another reason according to him is maintain a “uniform look” for students.
He also believes “the rule is part of the discipline that you are supposed to be subjected to when you are in school.”
How to handle violation of rules
Offering his suggestion on how to handle students who violate spelt out rules in their respective schools, Kabonu said students are expected to conform to the rules irrespective of whether they agree with them or not.
“A child of a school is supposed to conform to the rules of the schools,… it is part of the upbringing.
“When you get out of school in three years and you want to keep your hair as the forest in the Western Region you can do but so long as you are in school wanting to be brought up within the rules and regulations of the school, you are supposed to abide by the rules and regulations of the school.”
By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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