The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has weighed in on the ongoing public debate over whether senior high schools (SHS) should allow students t
The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has weighed in on the ongoing public debate over whether senior high schools (SHS) should allow students to keep long hair, including natural hair.
Speaking at the 75th anniversary of Mawuli Senior High School in the Volta Region on Saturday, October 25, the Minister stated firmly that long hair will not be permitted in SHS. He stressed that school is not a platform for fashion displays.
“We will not tolerate long hair today or tomorrow. Secondary school is not a beauty contest,” he said.
The debate resurfaced after a video circulated on social media showing a newly admitted female student of Yaa Asantewaa Senior High School in Kumasi crying while her mother supervised her haircut at a barber shop. The student, who had kept her natural hair long for years, appeared distressed before and after the cut, as captured in the barber’s video that spread widely online.
The video sparked discussions across social media and traditional media platforms about whether current school hair policies, which often require students to keep low-cut hair, should be reviewed—especially in cases involving natural hair.
However, the Education Minister’s remarks suggest that, for now, the policy will remain unchanged.
The girl’s father is said to have confronted the barber over the video. Graphic Online understands that he expressed strong displeasure about the filming and sharing of the footage without parental consent and reportedly threatened to take action against the barber for the act.
The incident rekindled debate about student grooming rules, similar to the national discussion in 2021 when some first-year students of Achimota School were denied admission over their Rastafarian hair.
Haruna Iddrisu’s Reaction
Addressing the 75th anniversary celebration of Mawuli Senior High School on Saturday — an event attended by the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) — Minister of Education Haruna Iddrisu stated that the existing haircut policy in senior high schools would not be relaxed.
“There is an ongoing debate about haircuts and the size and length of hair in secondary schools,” he said.
“We will not tolerate it today, and we will not tolerate it tomorrow, as long as we are molding character.”
He argued that compromising the rule on hair could open the door for further challenges to school discipline.
“If we give in to hair today, tomorrow it will be shoes, and the next day it will be how they dress.”
He further directed school heads to remain firm.
“Headmasters and GES, you are empowered to take full control of how students behave on your campuses.”
The Minister emphasized that schools are not spaces for personal fashion expression:
“Anyone who thinks their child will walk into an institution of learning as if attending a beauty contest — we will not tolerate that. The school environment is not cut for that purpose.”