A Supreme Court Justice Nominee, Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi has called for reforms in the country’s legal education system.
Speaking at his vetting on Tuesday, May 12, 2020, Yonny Kulendi who also serves as an examiner at the Ghana School of Law said the reforms must take into consideration the country’s population size as well as the increased appetite for legal education.
“I take the view that legal education needs structural reforms. I believe so. You have a system that was designed 60 years ago that has not substantially been reengineered. It is bound to have problems. Populations have increased, the democracy and the rule of law have come to stay… Therefore the appetite for studying law is inevitable in addition to population and in addition to numbers then.”
“I think we need to have a more comprehensive study of the problem and make recommendations for meeting them,” he added.
Background
Consistent mass failures recorded in exams at the Ghana School of Law coupled with challenges in gaining admission to the school have triggered calls for serious reforms in legal education in Ghana.
Kulendi’s recommendations
According to Yonny Kulendi, the system currently being used is having challenges because it is outmoded and needs comprehensive restructuring.
“In the last few years, accreditation is given to various universities to run faculties of law. During my time, Legon was the only place to study law. But now we have every university in Ghana or most of them with faculties of law and teaching law and yet you have maintained the same Makola, the same law school. You don’t need to be a prophet or a magician that there will be a stampede at the door and wherever there is a stampede there will be casualties.”
Yonny Kulendi said: “That’s why we are having academic casualties in that journey and thus creating the crisis. So do we need reforms? Yes, we do, which must take account of the population increase, the appetite for the law and be brought in sync with the changes that are going on with other universities. I think we need to have a more comprehensive study of the problem and make recommendations for meeting them.”
Chief Justice Anin Yeboah pledges to tackle legal education challenges
Chief Justice of Ghana, Justice Anin Yeboah had earlier pledged to tackle pertinent issues facing the judicial system in the country.
The Chief Justice promised to among other things, continue to uphold the integrity of the Judiciary.
“During my vetting by Parliament, it was evident that the following issues concerning the Judiciary were of concern to the representatives of the people of Ghana; the integrity of the Judiciary and the continuing perception of corruption, delays in the justice delivery system, poor infrastructure of the courts and residences of the judicial officers, inadequate resources for the running of the judiciary and justice delivery system, and challenges surrounding the legal education in Ghana.”
“I want to assure the people of Ghana that I will continue to jealously guard the integrity of the Judiciary as my predecessors in office have done and would take all necessary steps to ensure that during my term of office, solutions are found to these issues of concern,” he guaranteed.
