Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Rockson- Nelson Dafeamekpor has expressed displeasure over the cancellation of the second entrance exams by the Ghana Law School last Friday, September 23, 2022.
The entrance examination for the Ghana School of Law to be taken by prospective students was cancelled by the Independent Examination Committee of the General Legal Council (GLC) as the set of questions had been leaked on social media hours before the paper.
The paper was later written during the day. That was the second time the GLC had to cancel an exam paper due to leaks this year.
Speaking on the subject, Mr. Dafeamekpor said that the ongoing situation is in violation of the respect and prestige associated with the legal profession and undermines the ability of the Independent Examination Committee to conduct a transparent examination process.
“It is becoming a worrying situation when these leakages are becoming regular. Just 14th July this year, the Independent Examinations Body of the General Legal Council had to cancel the Civil Procedure paper which was scheduled to be taken on July 15, 2022.
The more these instances are recorded, the more it raises questions about the body responsible for the examinations,” he stated.
The number of people interested in pursuing a career in law, according to Mr. Dafeamekpor, will decrease as a result of the recurrence of exam paper leaks.
The legal practitioner therefore demanded that “the General of the General Legal Council had had to cancel the Civil Procedure paper which was scheduled to be taken on July 15, 2022.
The more these instances are recorded, the more it raises questions about the body responsible for the examinations,” he stated.
The number of people interested in pursuing a career in law, according to Mr. Dafeamekpor, will decrease as a result of the recurrence of exam paper leaks.
The legal practitioner, therefore, demanded that “the General Legal Council must, as a matter of urgency, ensure to institute measures to prevent these incidents from occurring in the future.”
He insisted that investigations must be carried out to unearth the individual(s) responsible for these incidents.
The exam malpractice comes at a time when there are discussions on opening up access to the Ghana School of Law given the rising interest in individuals who want to get training in the legal profession.
Mr Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor is of the assertion that the less number of students admitted has allowed desperation to creep into the hearts of many, where they will engage in unethical acts to gain access to legal education.
According to him, access to legal education has been restricted through “the employment of means including compelling lawyer hopefuls to sign undertakings that take off their rights, including rights not to appeal for remarking, coupled with the unpublished passing criteria.”
Nonetheless, he stressed that “the general public needs to hold strict confidence in the legal profession even as discussions continue to dominate on easing access to professional legal education in order to provide quality and qualified legal practitioners for the various legal services that are required in this country and beyond, and for that matter, the General Legal Council through the Independent Examination body must ensure integrity in the system.”
Source: The Independent Ghana