The Ghana School of Law entrance examination should be scrapped immediately, the Rector of the Mountcrest University College (MCU), Ms Irene Ansa-Asare, has advocated.
She said the current system was hampering the development of well-rounded legal professionals as it was forcing law faculties to prioritise examination preparation.
Ms Ansa-Asare made the call at MCU’s 7th congregation, in Accra on Saturday, on the theme; ‘Empowering Minds, Charting New Paths: Shaping the Future with Knowledge and Integrity.’
It saw 86 students graduating including 79 from the Postgraduate School of Bachelor of Law and six from the undergraduate Bachelor of Law programme.
Three students had First Class honours, 32 obtained Second Class Upper honours, 44 received Second Class Lower honours, and one student received a Pass.
Ms Ansa-Asare further stated that the faculties were losing their focus on grooming ethically responsible graduates with strong foundations in good governance and social justice.
She urged policymakers to engage with stakeholders to reform legal education in the country to better empower minds and chart a new path for the profession.
Moreover, Ms Ansa-Asare noted that there was the need to move away from traditional teaching methods that relied on students memorising and repeating information during examinations.
Instead, she advocated an educational approach that empowered students to become catalysts for national development.
“Ghana can no longer afford to have graduates that are not empowered to lead. We need leaders who have been imbued with values of integrity and service to the nation, and that starts with the quality of education they receive,” Ms Ansa-Asare stated.
She challenged the notion that Ghana had too many lawyers, and instead called for the expansion of access to legal education.
“I remain of the opinion that our system of legal education has, rather than being progressive, become restrictive based on what I consider to be an erroneous notion that we have too many lawyers in Ghana.
“I respectfully disagree, not only do we need many more lawyers in Ghana, our system of legal education must also embrace innovative ways of teaching and learning the law and needs to expand as a matter of urgency to include the greater legal profession,” Ms Ansa-Asare added.
She underscored the country’s need for qualified legal professionals to fill crucial roles in the public sector, academia, administration of justice, and law practice management.
Ms Ansa-Asare mentioned that these included training more academics, parliamentary counsel, legislative draftsmen, paralegals, court clerks, interpreters, and legally qualified public prosecutors.
The Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Professor Kabila Abass, who represented Vice-Chancellor, Professor Rita Akosua Dickson, commended MCU for its commitment to shaping future lawyers.
“As you step into the world, remember that the knowledge and skills you have gained will empower you to make a difference. As lawyers, you will have the opportunity to advocate for those who need a voice, to seek truth, and to uphold fairness in our society.”
