Member of the Constitutional, Legal and Subsidiary Legislation in Ghana’s Parliament, Mr Rockson Nelson Dafeamekor has described a directive by the Ghana Law School to all students to submit their social media accounts for monitoring, as unconstitutional and unacceptable which must not be countenanced in any manner or form in a 2022 Ghana.
In his view, the directive is tantamount to media censorship and gagging of the students.
The 1992 Constitution, he said, frowns on any such conduct or attempt to restrict and for that matter, gag Law School students from the free expression of their views.
The Director of the Ghana Law School, Yaw Oppong, has said the social media accounts of all students are going to be monitored.
To that end, he said, they are all required to submit their social media accounts for monitoring.
This move is to check their that they put up good conduct when they are called to the bar, he said.
Mr Oppong said these during the swearing-in ceremony of the School of Law Students’ Representative Council (SRC) executives.
“Everybody will have to provide their social media handles. We are going to look at it and you will be monitored in terms of conduct. We are required by law to make recommendations. We don’t want to stampede you.
“You are going to reapply beyond the pass and submit yourselves for all legitimate checks,” he said.
He added “Once we are doing our best to ensure that as many of you as possible who want to help yourselves go beyond the stage you are, and we are succeeding, it will not compromise your good character.”
It’s of no use if you are qualified to go to second year, and you are told that you cannot go because of bad character,” he noted.
In a statement reacting to this development, Mr Dafeamekpor who is also lawmaker for South Dayi said social media 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, he said, any effort 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.
“It must again be reiterated that these conducts and directives are emanating from the manner through which these students were admitted into the Law School. It can be recalled 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.
“Unfortunately, these incidents are gradually providing power to the administrators of legal education to keep chipping off the rights that are available to would-be officers and practitioners of the law.
“We must therefore be worried at any efforts directed at taking further the rights of Law School students. Any such efforts must be resisted, condemned, and pointed out as such,” he said in a statement.
He added “The directive/demand/request to Law School students must therefore be withdrawn as same constitutes violation of the rights of these students as enshrined in the Constitution, 1992.