We are better off having more unemployed trained lawyers - Minority

Minority leader in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu has called on the Attorney General to lead the conversation on legal education reforms in the country in regards to the intake of law students.

He said the country is better off having more young people trained in law even if they are unemployed than not giving them an opportunity especially when we have a deficit as a country.

“Legal education, Attorney General you must lead this country in a national conversation on this matter, we are better off having more young people trained in law even if they are unemployed than not giving them an opportunity. If you were to launch a manifesto one community one lawyer you are assured of my support and maybe by extension, we can also even do it for medical reform. How much does it take to train a lawyer, medical lawyer? We say every day we are deficit as a country in their numbers yet attorney general is looking for money to complete 20 years building,” he said.

Law students in October embarked on a demonstration exercise to demand reforms in the country’s legal education system. This was due to the massive failure of students who sat for the entrance examinations of the Ghana School of Law.

Only 128 out of 1800 students who sat for this year’s exams passed and gained admission into the Ghana School of Law.

In addressing the issue, the Chief Justice, Sophia Akufo, said that even though there are plans to further expand facilities at the Ghana School of Law (GSL) to help increase its intake of law students, the General Legal Council (GLC) will not open the floodgates for the admission of students who do not meet the requirement.

“The position of the GLC remains that admission to the Ghana School of Law for the professional legal education requires that a successful candidate obtain a minimum mark of 50 per cent in an entrance examination administered by the Independent Examination Committee,” she said during the enrollment ceremony of 305 lawyers to the bar.