The Ghana School of Law (GSL), the nation’s premier legal education provider, has been advised to establish more campuses to expand access to legal education in the country.
“Admittedly, more action could be taken in addressing the legal education crisis by opening more campuses,” Ms Diana Asonaba Dapaah, Deputy Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, stated at the launch of the 20th anniversary celebration of Faculty of Law of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi.
The call comes in the wake of the growing number of student applicants who envisage pursuing legal education in the country but are unable to realise their dreams due to limited access, caused by inadequate infrastructure.
The Ghana School of law (GSL) is the leading Law School in the West African sub-Region and serves students from other Commonwealth countries in the area.
Ms. Asonaba Dapaah, said access to quality legal education was a necessity for development in every society.
According to the Deputy Attorney-General, since the Legislative Instrument (LI) 2355was passed, admission to the GSL had been limited.
The school has one of the most competitive and difficult entrance examination regimes, as most shortlisted student applicants, in most cases, fail to make the mark.
In 2018, only 600 shortlisted student applicants out of 1,810 – who sat for the entrance examination – gained admission, while 128 out of the 1,820 were admitted in 2019.
Some 1,045 shortlisted applicants out of 2,763 got admission in 2020, while 790 out of 2,824 shortlisted applicants were admitted in 2021.
“As such, over 5,000 student applicants have been unable to gain admission into the school in the past five years,” Ms. Asonaba Dapaah observed.
She said the situation could be improved with the GSL establishing more campuses and providing a more structured and transparent mode of examination through the Independent Examination Committee (IEC).
“As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the KNUST Faculty of Law, let us embrace the prospects and confront the challenges of quality, accessible and affordable legal education in the 21st century.
“By prioritising excellence, inclusivity and affordability, we can shape a legal education system that empowers aspiring legal professionals to contribute meaningfully to the development of our nation and the promotion of justice,” Ms Asonaba Dapaah stated.
On the affordability of legal education in Ghana, she urged academic institutions to charge tuition fees which would not hinder others from acquiring legal education at the university level.
GNA
