The Students’ Representative Council (SRC) of the Ghana School of Law has debunked claims that the school has requested students to submit their social media handles for monitoring, as suggested by some media outlets.
According to the Council, an admonition by the Director of the school for students to live above reproach wherever they find themselves, including on social media, does not constitute a directive.
“The alleged statement by the Director of the Ghana School of Law made at the Swearing-In ceremony of the new SRC executives was a reiteration of general caution to the student body to abide by the school’s code of conduct within and outside the school including social media platforms.”
SRC
Contained in a statement signed by the President of the SRC, Atta-Agyapong Jnr. it emphasized that while the school management seeks to ensure that majority of qualified students are called to the Bar each year, “no such directive has been given to any student by the Management of the school”. The Council vowed to seek the interest of students in all matters.
Meanwhile, the SRC has congratulated the over 840 students who will be called to the bar on Friday, 11th November, 2022.
“This number is an indication of an enhance training system at the Ghana School of Law and a testament that the school and the General Legal Council whilst ensuring the quality of legal training, will do nothing to restrict access to the School or to the Bar.”
SRC
The request by the Director of the Ghana School of Law has been condemned in many circles, with some calling it an affront to the student’s constitutional right to free expression.
Submission of social media handles, tantamount to media censorship
Prior to this, Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, criticized the directive by Director of the Ghana School of Law, Lawyer Yaw Oppong, to the Ghana School of Law students to submit their social media handles to be monitored. He revealed that the move is tantamount to “media censorship and gagging the students”.
The directive, he explained, is most unconstitutional and unacceptable and must not be countenanced in any manner or form in a 2022 Ghana.
Mr Dafeamekpor stated that the Constitution 1992 frowns on any such conduct or attempt to restrict and for that matter, gag Law School students from the free expression of their views.
Social media, he explained, has come to provide a legitimate platform for ordinary citizens to have access to media and a medium for the expression of their views emanating from their conscience and beliefs without any hindrance.
“As a result, any effort(s) aimed at taking that freedom of expression and conscience for fear of being victimized is something the Constitution frowns upon and same must not be allowed to be perpetrated on would-be lawyers.”
Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor
Mr Dafeamekpor iterated that these conducts and directives are emanating from the manner through which these students were admitted into the Law School. He noted that these students were compelled in their recent entrance examination, to sign off their rights to challenge results even when they feel the need to challenge same.
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