An education policy analyst, Kwamina Taylor, has thrown his full support behind Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu’s recent declaration that Senior High School (SHS) students will not be allowed to keep long hair, saying “school is not a beauty contest.”
Speaking in an interview on Atinka TV’s Midday News with Ebenezer Madugu, Mr. Taylor said the regulation requiring students to keep short hair has long existed and remains necessary to promote discipline and uniformity in schools.
“This is something that existed long ago, and I don’t think it will be necessary to change this regulation,” he said. “One of the reasons we go to school is for uniformity. The heads must be empowered to execute the regulation properly.”
Mr. Taylor emphasized that exceptions should only be made on medical or religious grounds, citing past incidents such as the Achimota School case.
According to him, allowing students to keep their hair could create unnecessary distractions and competition among students, especially girls living in dormitories.
“Keeping the hair will disrupt the learning time of the child. Even those of us with female children know the time and effort they go through to maintain it. Imagine a dormitory with about 20 girls all keeping their hair — soon, every Saturday will turn into a salon day, with everyone wanting different styles,” he explained.
He further argued that allowing long hair would increase costs for parents, as maintaining it requires frequent salon visits and care products.
“Aside from the distraction, it comes with cost, and when parents bear that, it adds to the cost of education,” he added.
Mr. Taylor warned that relaxing the rule for one group of students could open the floodgates for others to demand exemptions on various human rights grounds.
He concluded that SHS students spend only three years in school and can freely style their hair afterward, but for now, they should comply with the existing policy.
“They can keep their hair after school, but for now, I back the Minister’s call that they cut their hair properly before reporting to school,” he said.
The Education Minister’s directive has sparked mixed reactions among Ghanaians, with some calling for reforms to reflect cultural diversity and self-expression, while others, like Mr. Taylor, insist that discipline and uniformity must remain at the heart of Ghana’s education system.
By Ebenezer Madugu
