Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has waded into the ongoing public debate over whether Senior High School (SHS) students should be required to trim their hair, strongly backing the Ghana Education Service (GES) and school authorities in enforcing discipline on campuses.
The debate was reignited after management of Yaa Asantewaa Girls’ Senior High School reportedly directed a female student to trim her hair – a move that went viral on social media and sparked mixed reactions from the public.
Speaking at the Mawuli Senior High School’s 75th anniversary in the Volta Region, Mr Iddrisu said the government would not compromise on discipline in schools, emphasising that grooming standards form part of character building.
“There is an ongoing debate in social media about haircuts and the size and length of hair in secondary schools. We will not tolerate it today, and we will not tolerate it tomorrow,” the minister declared.
He noted that allowing laxity in such matters could undermine discipline in schools.
“So long as we are moulding character, if we give in to hair today, tomorrow it will be shoes, and the next day it will be the way they dress,” he said.
Mr Iddrisu reaffirmed that headmasters and the GES are fully empowered to regulate student conduct on their campuses, including enforcing grooming rules.
“As part of our disciplinary measures, headmasters and GES, you are accordingly empowered to take full control of how students behave on your campuses,” he stated.
He further cautioned parents and students against treating educational institutions as fashion spaces.
“Anybody who thinks that your child will walk into any institution of learning as if that child were to attend a beauty contest; the school environment is not for that purpose and would not tolerate that as an institution,” the minister said.
The minister’s comments add to the growing national conversation about personal expression and discipline in Ghana’s secondary schools, an issue that continues to divide public opinion.
