We'll reform legal education – Mahama

Former President John Mahama has backed calls by some aggrieved law students and their sympathisers for a reform of the country’s legal education system.

His call comes in the wake of mass examination failures and a drastic slash in the intake of students into the Ghana School of Law.

The National Union of Law Students, as part of moves to pile pressure on the General Legal Council to implement some reforms, decided to petition past and present leaders of Ghana and other traditional authorities to find a lasting solution to the matter.

Their decision, however, to meet President Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee house turned bloody as some of the aggrieved students clashed with the police and sustained various degrees of injuries.

However, upon receipt of his copy of the petition, former President Mahama condemned the police brutalities and said the National Democratic Congress is ever ready to spearhead the conversation on reforms in the legal education system.

“We are happy to open a conversation with regards to reforming legal education systems.

“We must not attempt to restrict, by certain means, the ambitions that young people have. I believe that some reforms must take place so that as many people as possible are able to realise their dreams. In the next decade, Ghana’s population is going to increase from 30 million people to 50 million people. It means that the demand for legal services is going to increase," he explained.

“We will lead a conversation on that in order to reform the legal education system,” he added.