Maxwell Opoku-Agyemang, a senior law lecturer, has said the Ghana School of Law must adopt a triple-track system of learning in order to admit more students every year.
On the perennial issue of mass failure of students in the law entrance exams, he proposed that qualified law faculties around the country should be certified to teach the professional legal studies to ease pressure on the Ghana School of Law.
Speaking on Asaase Radio’s Townhall Talk show on Friday, the veteran law lecturer mentioned lack of adequate facilities to contain the huge numbers of LLB graduates as a major contributing factor to the issue.
“Last year we practised the triple-track system and we took 1,045 students, so even if the backlog was, 2,000 students, with 1,045 admissions, we reduced the backlog to the 1,000 plus and this year luckily if they had gone with that rule, and had admitted 1,299, the backlog would have been less than 1,000 and therefore if we had continued in that tangent, by two to three years, there would be no backlog,” Opoku-Agyemang told the show host, Kofi Abotsi.
He added: “And if we had developed the infrastructure maybe at the Law Village for example which can take 1,500 students on its own, and you add Kumasi campus, then it means we may have more space than even those who are going to write the exams. So that is one way.
Certification of faculties
“The other way is, the authority which gives the power to accredit, I am of the view that, maybe we look at the law faculties that have the facilities and lecturers for the professional studies to be accredited but in doing so, I am very cautious because recently we looked at the evaluation and monitoring reports for the various faculties and I must say, with the exception of one or two faculties, most use names of famous and revered lecturers to get accreditation but the actual lecturers are not those listed on the accreditation paper and that is a problem.”
Opoku-Agyemang, once the acting director of the Ghana School of Law, refuted claims that there is a deliberate attempt by the General Legal Council to ensure that only a specific number of students are called to the bar, regardless of the number of students who pass.
“As I indicated, in 2017 when we admitted 128, we heard the noise and last year 1,045 passed and they were all admitted, so that tells us that there is no such thing, that is why this year, I am a little bit concerned with what is happening because there is no such policy.
“However, such decisions are affected by the law school budget and today I want to say that, when you are preparing the budget, you must have an estimated number for purposes of planning. So, in 2017, the school budgeted for 450 students and only 128 passed and that had dire financial consequence on the administration of the school,” Opoku-Agyemang said.
Watch the full interview below:
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