The Ghana School of Law has directed its students to submit their social media handles for monitoring to ensure that students uphold a character that suits the legal profession.
This was revealed by the Director of the Ghana School of Law, Yaw Oppong at the swearing-in ceremony of the School of Law Students’ Representative Council (SRC) executives.
According to him, this initiative will ensure the fulfillment of management’s legal requirements of making recommendations based on good conduct.
Everybody will have to provide their social media handles. We are going to look at it and you will be monitored in terms of conduct. We are required by law to make recommendations; He said
Mr. Oppong further stated that this will ensure that students who aspire to be called to the bar maintain good character.
We don’t want to stampede you. You are going to reapply beyond the pass and submit yourselves for all legitimate checks. Once we are doing our best to ensure that as many of you as possible who want to help yourselves go beyond the stage you are, and we are succeeding, it will not compromise your good character.
It’s of no use if you are qualified to go to second year, and you are told that you cannot go because of bad character.
He, therefore, entreated students to submit themselves for the character checks before the General Legal Council’s approval.
Each and everyone of you should be submitted for that check before finally, council approves upon satisfaction that you are person of good conduct or good character.
According to an earlier report by the Ghana School of Law, over 80% of candidates who sat for the School of Law final exams passed.
However, an earlier publication by citinewsroom.com, said it is insufficient for a candidate who has passed his/her final examination to be called to the bar. A candidate’s good character must be assessed for the approval of the General Legal Council.
It is important to note that merely passing the final exams does not give a candidate an automatic right to be called to the Bar. Beyond passing his exams, a successful candidate is required to satisfy the General Legal Council that he is a person of “Good Character”. Thus, for example, a candidate may have passed all his or her final exams but may still not be called to the Bar if it is established that he is a person with a criminal record.
Story by: Sammy Danso Eghan | univers.ug.edu.gh
