The Parliament of Ghana has directed the General Legal Council (GLC) to admit the 499 students who were denied admissions into the Ghana School of Law despite making the 50 percent pass mark.
The directive was given after Parliament debated and passed a resolution directed at the Minister of Justice and Attorney General and the General Legal Council to the effect that the students should be admitted.
The First Deputy Speaker, Joe Osei Owusu, who announced the directive after the House voted said after the debate that the GLC should ensure to proceed with the admission of the students.
“…the ‘Aye’s have it and the motion is that the General Legal Council is hereby directed to proceed and admit all the students who passed in accordance with the advertised rules of the examination”.
Joe Osei Owusu
The motion was filed by the Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin. who said the management of the Ghana Law School are making the study of law not pleasing to students, owing to the frustration LLB students go through to gain admission.
. Aggrieved 499 law Students Request GSL to Reverse its Decision
. Ghana School of Law must admit the 499 students denied admission- Eduwatch
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Friday October 29,;the Effutu lawmaker added that, it is not too late for the GLC to admit these 499 law students because they have passed the necessary requirement.
“We are telling the Ghana law school that they continuously frustrating students, they are making the study of law unattractive. I know that the post call students, they had started lectures, they started last week but for the Professional law, they are starting next week”.
Alexander Afenyo-Markin
Concluding the debate on the floor of Parliament, the Bawku Central MP, Mahama Ayariga, said this directive would be the best and swiftest way to bring justice to the students.
“This House should commit to an additional appropriation to the law school to be able to take care of additional numbers.”
Mahama Ayariga
Court adjourns case of 499 students against GLC
Prior to the direction by Parliament, an Accra High Court presided over by Justice Nicholas Mensah Abodakpi, today, October, 29, 2021 adjourned sitting to November 9, 2021 in the case involving the 499 students. The students were in court to challenge the decision of the General Legal Council on their admission.
According to reports, the Assistant State Attorney, Patricia Ayirebe Acquah, prayed the High Court to adjourn the case to allow the attorney general’s department to respond to the claims of the applicants since the Genera Legal Council (GLC) only filed their defense today. The lawyer for the applicants, Martin Kpebu, had no objection to the request.
The 499 aggrieved students accused the GLC for not granting them admission following a new quota system introduced after the law school entrance examination had taken place and the results had been released.
The new requirements according to GLC, is that, candidates had to score at least 50% in both sections of law school entrance exams to be eligible for entry into the Ghana School of Law. According to the affected students, the new rule was unknown to them before, during, however after the exams.
