Tyrone Marhguy, Rasta Student Initially Rejected By Achimota School Joins School’s NSMQ Team

Tyrone Marhguy, one of the students initially rejected by the Achimota School because they had dreadlocks, may be a cornerstone in the life of the school in this year’s Ghana National Science and Maths Quiz.

Achimota School on Friday, June 2, 2023, posted a photo of its NSMQ team which included Tyrone Marhguy.

The photos were with the inscription: “#AchimotaAt96 🎹 Last month, our @nsmqghana team participated in a trial session as we prepare for the upcoming quiz season. We encourage all members of our community to reach out to the team and help equip them for a successful season”.

Achimota School last won the NSMQ in 2004. The school has since then struggled to win the competition.

Tyrone Marhguy and Oheneba Nkrabea were denied admission into Achimota School for refusing to shave off their dreadlocks notwithstanding that they had passed the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), and, had been selected into the school through the computerized placement system.

The school was subsequently ordered by a court to admit the students.

Delivering the judgment on the case, the presiding judge of the Human Rights Court 1 Division of the High Court, Justice Gifty Agyei Addo held that the Attorney-General failed to provide a legal justification as to why the rights of the two Rastafarian students to education should be limited on the basis of their dreadlocks.

The Attorney General subsequently argued in Court that the Rastafarian students had not even completed or returned their acceptance of admission forms and could thus not be deemed to have been denied the admission.

But for the students, their parents, and lawyers, this was simply a case of a breach of fundamental rights on the basis of their religion and religious practices.

Justice Gifty Adjei Addo disagreed with the submissions of the Attorney and granted all the reliefs separately sought by the students, save for the relief of compensation in the case of Tyrone Marhguy.

According to Justice Addo, it was preposterous for the Attorney General to have even suggested that the two were not students in the first place.

Justice Gifty Adjei Addo consequently directed Achimota School to admit the two Rastafarian students.