The President of the National Association of Law Students (NALS), Hassan Asare, has welcomed recent developments in Ghana’s legal education sector, describing them as “long overdue” and “a step in the right direction.”
The Majority Chief Whip, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor on Joy News’ PM Express on Tuesday, May 27, declared that the much-anticipated Legal Education Bill will break the Ghana School of Law’s long-standing monopoly over professional legal training.
Read also: ‘Legal Education Bill to end Makola monopoly’ – Dafeamekpor
Mr Asare expressed satisfaction with recent efforts aimed at expanding access to legal training, noting that the current system, which relies heavily on a single law school, has long been a bottleneck for aspiring lawyers.
“I think this is one of the best pieces of news we can applaud. The problem has always been how we have 14 or 16 law faculties but just one Ghana School of Law. It simply doesn’t make sense. The fight for expansion has been painful, and often those of us advocating for it were gaslighted by people in government.”
Speaking on JoyNews’ The Pulse show on Thursday, May 28, Mr Asare argued that the current structure under the General Legal Council (GLC) has outlived its usefulness, pointing to the infamous 2021 “499 students” incident — when hundreds of qualified students were denied entry into the Ghana School of Law based on a controversial retrospective policy decision.
“In 2021, we protested over the 499 students. Everyone on the board knew the decision was wrong, but they held onto it anyway. That’s why I believe the GLC, in its current form, should be dissolved,” he noted.
He also highlighted the economic burden on students who are compelled to travel abroad for further legal training due to the limited spaces at home, a situation he believes drains the country’s foreign exchange reserves.
“Many law students are forced to travel outside the country. This is money leaving Ghana that could have been invested here. Creating more local opportunities will help retain both talent and resources,” he said.
However, Mr Asare cautioned that with expansion must come robust quality assurance.
He called for strict adherence to accreditation standards to maintain the integrity of legal education in Ghana.
“If you’re accrediting these faculties, there must be systems in place to ensure they meet proper standards. I don’t believe the quality will be diluted if we regulate properly. This is grounded in law — Article 25 of the Constitution supports it,” he explained.
The association’s President reiterated NALS’ commitment to supporting efforts to reform the legal education landscape.
“This is applaudable, it’s commendable, and we are ready to support the initiative at every level,” he concluded.
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