Malawi’s Rastafarian children return to school after ban on dreadlocks is lifted

Schools told to honour court order as families seek compensation and training for pupils who missed education because of their hair

About 1,200 Rastafarian children in Malawi are expected to return to state schools over the next month after being banned for a decade because of their hair.

After a landmark decision at the high court in March, letters have now been sent out to about 7,000 schools telling headteachers that the exclusion of children with dreadlocks from the classroom has been ruled as unconstitutional.