Supreme Court rules against Ghana School of Law’s admission procedure

The Supreme Court has described as unconstitutional the admission procedure used by the Ghana School of Law.

The procedure requires applicants to take an entrance exam, and subsequently interviewed before gaining admission.

According to the court the requirement is contrary to L.I. 1296. Ruling on the case on Thursday, June 22, 2017, Justice Gbadegbe ordered that the General Legal Council uses appropriate means to pass the required regulation for whatever admission process they [GLC] intend to use.

However, the court directed that the ongoing admission process for the 2017/2018 academic year should not affect by its ruling but the General Legal Council is to commence implementation of the ruling within 6 months. The court further recommended a quota system to be put in place for accredited institutions across the country.

Background

In October 2015, a US-based Ghanaian professor, Professor Stephen Kweku Asare filed a suit a the Supreme Court to nullify the use of interviewing and entrance examination as the basis of admission into the Ghana School of Law to pursue the professional law course.

In his suit, he claimed that the way and manner in which the Ghana School of Law conducts its entrance exams and interviews for students as well as the ceiling on the number of admitted students is grossly unfair and overrides national interest.