Prior to the examination, the students had petitioned the Council over a ruling by the Supreme Court which declared the examination and interview requirements as illegal, but the Council rejected their petition.

[contextly_sidebar id=”bkbTg1VbbtbN6RaWU7L2kpYxpqbKDymN”]Speaking to Citi News, the spokesperson of the group, Ken Donkoh, said they will within the next few days seek legal interpretation of the earlier ruling on the matter.

“We will be going to court to seek interpretation of the orders that were given by the Supreme Court. Among them is the consequential orders that were given, and the consequential orders to us was very clear. It was not directing the General Legal Council to engage in any act such as conducting of examination and interview which will form the basis of disqualifying any student,” he said.

He argued that, “it was wrong for us to be directed to take part in a conduct that the Supreme Court of Ghana has declared as unlawful, illegal and unconstitutional.”

Background

797 students failed the entrance exam, which was contentious, to begin with.

Prior to the examination, the students had petitioned the Council over a ruling by the Supreme Court which declared the examination and interview requirements as illegal, but the Council rejected their petition.

The Supreme Court in June declared as unconstitutional the entrance exams and interview session, before admitting new students into the Ghana Law School.

According to the court, in a case brought before it by Professor Kwaku Asare, a United States-based Ghanaian lawyer in 2015, the requirements were in violation of the Legislative Instrument 1296 which gives direction for the mode of admission.

The affected group under the umbrella name, Concerned Law Students, reiterated the Apex Court’s judgment saying “it will be a travesty of justice to still require qualified applicants to pass an entrance examination and subsequent interview in order to be admitted into the Ghana School of Law.”

The group, in a statement, has now challenged the General Legal Council to release the raw scores of every candidate as they say it is unthinkable for 797 candidates to fail.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post Failed law students threaten court action appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The exam took place at the University of Ghana Legon.

Following a dismissal of an earlier suit seeking an injunction on the exams, some students filed another process aimed at stopping the exercise this morning [Friday].

Some students who earlier spoke to Citi News complained about the two hour paper.

“In terms of preparation, we have done our part and looking at the way the examination is structured I doubt if anybody will be able to tell you that he’s been able to go through everything. Just a two hour paper but you’d have to read nine courses and each of the courses at the LLB level is a one full year course so you can imagine, it’s a herculean task for us. We are here because we have to come today,” one LLB graduate said.

Another one also complained that: “how can study something for four good years and they are going to use two hours to access you. Even the cases in though one alone, you can’t use three or six months to study all those things. So it looks as if you have to find a way of coming out.

Supreme Court order

The High Court’s ruling comes on the back of a judgement by the Supreme Court on June 22, 2017 which declared as unconstitutional the entrance exams and interview session before admitting new students into the Ghana Law School.

According to the court, in a case brought before it by Professor Kwaku Asare, a United States-based Ghanaian lawyer, in 2015, the requirements were in violation of the Legislative Instrument 1296 which gives direction for the mode of admission.

The Justices in delivering their judgment, also indicated that their order should not take retrospective effect, but should be implemented in six months, when admissions for the 2018 academic year begins.

This prompted the group to call on the General Legal Council to scrap the exams and the interview but the request was turned town.

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By: Seidu Anas/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Scores of LLB graduates turn up for Law School entrance exams appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The group filed for an injunction on the entrance exams scheduled for this Friday, July 14, 2017, after the General Legal Council rejected an earlier petition on the matter.

[contextly_sidebar id=”mMEpfPkuFIJvKfWkY5PCxORuYS3ZjC7o”]According to leaders of the group, the anonymous callers warned that they will all be victimized even if they manage to finally gain admission into the school.

One of the leaders, Kenn Donkor Addor, told Citi News that he and his colleagues will stay resolute to the course even in the face of the mounting pressure.

“So far since we started this fight, it’s been two weeks now; and there has been calls from unknown numbers, private numbers  calling us, threatening that if we don’t take care we will be victimized. But we have a conviction that what we are being directed to engage in is legal.”

“And as upcoming lawyers, we think that we cannot be pushed into this illegality. Since we are chatting the path of the rule of law, the rule of law is a cornerstone of the administration of justice. We hope that the General Legal Council will hold its law and allow the judicial system to work,” he added.

Background

The Supreme Court on  June 22, 2017 declared as unconstitutional the entrance exams and interview session before admitting new students into the Ghana Law School.

According to the court, in a case brought before it by Professor Kwaku Asare, a United States-based Ghanaian lawyer, in 2015, the requirements were in violation of the Legislative Instrument 1296 which gives direction for the mode of admission.

The Justices in delivering their judgment, also indicated that their order should not take retrospective effect, but should be implemented in six months, when admissions for the 2018 academic year begins.

But the LLB graduates petitioned the General Legal Council (GLC) to scrap the July 14 entrance exams and interview session describing it as illegal but the GLC vowed not to do such thing.

The GLC in its response to a petition from the group, said “the Council decided that in line with the terms of the judgment in the above mentioned case, the law school entrance examination scheduled for Friday July 14th would take place as planned.”

“Your petition, which includes among other thigns a request for automatic admission to the Ghana School of Law, is therefore declined,” the GLC said last Friday.

The Concerned LLB Graduates in their writ prayed the court to declare that “the admission criteria imposed by the Council in terms of an entrance examination and an interview for admission into the Ghana School of Law since 2015 contravene the provisions of Act 32 and L.I. 1296.”

The group also wants an order from the court to compel the Council allow automatic admission into the Ghana School of Law since to it the policy infringes on the fundamental human rights of students.

“A further declaration that plaintiffs and persons with the requisite qualification in terms of law (i.e. Act 32 and L.I. 1296) automatically qualify for admission into the Ghana School of Law. An order of court setting aside the unlawful criteria complained off as illegal and unconstitutional and an infringement upon the plaintiff’s fundamental human rights enshrined in the 199 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana.”

“A declaration that allowing the defendant-council to administer the entrance examination on Friday, 14th July, 2017 would amount to a grant of immunity from the consequences of breaching sections 13 and 14 of the Legal Profession Act, 1960 (Act 32), Regulations 2 and 3 of the Professional Law Course Regulations, 1984 (L.I. 1296) and articles 11(7), 23, 296 (a) and (b) and 2987 (b) of the 1992 Constitution,” the writ added.

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By: Seidu Anass/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Our lives in danger over entrance exams suit – LLB graduates  appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.