Law School did not advertise a 50 percent pass mark for admission – A-G to Parliament
Mr. Godfred Yeboah Dame, Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, claims Parliament erred when it said in a resolution that the General Legal Council published a 50 percent pass score for admission in conformity with the announced regulations of the Ghana School of Law entrance tests.
Mr. Yeboah Dame responded to what he called an “impugned Parliamentary resolution” of October 29, 2021, which tried to instruct the General Legal Council to admit 499 pupils, by claiming that Parliament’s decision generated an “erroneous impression.”
As a result, there was a need to rectify the erroneous perception, as the General Legal Council had not advertised anything about a passing score of 50%.
He said that Parliament lacked the authority to order the General Legal Council to accept the 499 students who have rejected admission following the entrance exam.
In a letter to the Speaker of Parliament dated November 1, 2021, the Attorney-General stated that the legislature has no authority to give such instruction under Article 106 of the 1992 Constitution.
Mr. Yeboah Dame indicated that in a notification published in the Daily Graphic on May 14, 2021, the General Legal Council stated that “applicants may be given admission provided they have completed the GLC’s entrance examination.”
“The notification also did not clarify how a pass mark established by the GLC would be assessed,” he said.
“It is apparent, then, that the claim that the pass mark was initially stated or marketed as 50% is false and unsupportable.”
By a decision voted on last Friday, Parliament ordered the Ghana School of Law (GSL) to accept all 499 candidates who passed the last entrance test but were denied admission.
The Parliamentary instruction said, “The General Legal Council is thus directed to continue and accept all students who passed in conformity with the published norms of the tests.”
It went on to say, “The Attorney-General is the head of the Ghanaian bar, and he must ensure that the decision to accept 499 students with a score of 50 is followed. We don’t want to get into concerns of contempt of Parliament.”
However, the A-G and Mr. Yeboah Dame, in a joint statement, stated that the resolution voted by Parliament on Friday, October 29, 2021, cannot be considered because Parliament lacks constitutional authority to do so.
However, he stated that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in response to a petition signed by 499 candidates, has already instructed the A-G to intervene in the GLC on their behalf.
The President’s decision came “three clear days” before the Parliamentary resolution, he claimed.
“Within the bounds of the law, I am carrying out the President’s instruction to take the appropriate action on behalf of the pupils.”
“However, it is necessary to correct a few false impressions included in the contested Parliamentary resolution of October 29, 2021.”
