By Joyce Danso
Accra, Aug 4, GNA – The Ghana School of Law (GSL) lacks a legal instrument formally establishing it, the Director, Barima Nana Yaw Kodie Oppong, has said.
“The Ghana School of Law has no law, no statute expressly passed by Parliament establishing it and so even when you secure a property, it cannot be in the name of the Ghana School of Law.
“We think the beginning is to get a law that establishes the GSL as it has been done for other special schools,” he stated.
Mr Oppong made the remarks during a visit by the Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs to the school, aimed at assessing its operations, challenges, and achievements.
He said the school occupied nearly two acres of land, which could accommodate an ultra-modern facility befitting its status.
“We have an urgent need for new structures in this school for expansion,” he said, citing Rwanda’s superior infrastructure as a benchmark.
He disclosed that the school had initiated construction of a new campus in Kumasi and urged swift commencement of work at the site to ease pressure on existing facilities.
Mr. Oppong said the GSL supported reforms and had decentralised its operations.
“All these have changed because of exigencies. We believe that the GSL would remain competitive and continue to excel even if other institutions are allowed to offer professional training,” he said.
Mr. Oppong noted that 17 universities currently offer the LLB programme, with five more seeking accreditation.
He added that the school had written to the Attorney-General and Ministry of Finance requesting the lifting of the 25 per cent cap on its Internally Generated Funds (IGF).
“If we keep out 100 percent of IGF, then on our own we could commence development of our structures,” he said.
Mr Oppong said the school needed to retain at least 20 per cent of its teaching staff as permanent lecturers to meet the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission’s (GTEC) student-lecturer ratio.
“The GSL was nowhere near that,” he said, noting that only one lecturer was currently permanent.
Despite the shortfall in the number of permanent lecturers, “it has never been negative on us. At least we need persons to be full-time lecturers,” he said.
Mr. Oppong called for improved salaries and conditions of service for staff, stressing the school’s role in training lawyers, judges, and Members of Parliament.
He said the condition of service of staff should be looked at beyond the normal public service conditions because of the importance of what the staff do.
Mr. Oppong commended the Committee for its visit, noting that although the school’s infrastructure had seen little improvement, the quality of education had advanced.
Mr. James Enu, Vice Chairperson of the Committee and MP for Tema West, pledged to advocate for the school’s concerns in Parliament.
Mr. Alhassan Tampuli, Deputy Ranking Member and MP for Gushegu, said the visit aimed to understand the school’s challenges, particularly regarding Bar examination reforms, infrastructure, and the need to train more legal professionals.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey