The former Member of Parliament for Tamale Central Constituency Lawyer Inusah Fuseini, says parliament has over stepped its boundaries in directing the General Legal Council (GLC) to admit the 499 students into the Ghana School of Law.
According to him such directive by parliament amounts to seeking to “micromanage” the admission processes at the Law School. “Parliament is not only determining the issues of policy, but parliament is seeking to micromanage the admission processes by the Law and this will create challenges on its implementation”, he stated.
Parliament had directed the General Legal Council to admit the students who, despite making the 50 percent pass mark, were denied admission.
The directive was given after Parliament debated and passed a resolution directed at the Minister of Justice and Attorney General and the General Legal Council to the effect that the students should be admitted.
But the former NDC legislature for Tamale Central commenting on the issue on Diamond FM’s power drive on Tuesday November 2, 2021, expressed the view that, admission processes at the Law School is prerogative to General Legal Council (GLC),and this is done by a law passed by Parliament.
He explained that, there is an act of parliament that give the General Legal Council (GLC) the mandate to run the school and conducting exams for the purposes of admitting students in to the Law School”.
The former Minister for Roads and Highways further explained that, “there is a legislative instrument that has been passed by Parliament to ensure the proper and efficient implementation of the act, hence it is prudent for parliament to complied with that”.
“And if parliament then passes the resolution to over reach the act and the legislative instrument, then it will create constitutional challenges”, he said.
The 499 LLB graduates were denied entry because they failed to obtain at least 50 percent in both sections of the entrance exam, despite making the pass mark.
The students claim they were only informed of this particular directive after the exam.
The students had petitioned Parliament and the President and staged several protests over their entry denial.
But following the resolution by parliament, many have questioned if the intervention does not amount to interference.
Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin rebuffed such suggestions that the house is meddling in the work of the judiciary.
He insisted that Parliament as a body with oversight responsibility cannot sit aloof and watch for the students to be treated unfairly.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin maintained that they will do everything possible to ensure that the students are admitted.
Story by: Yakubu Alhassan | www.diamondfmonline.com
