The St. Mary’s Senior High School in Accra has emerged winner of the 2nd Edition of the Ghana Secondary Schools Moot Court Competition held in Accra on Friday, June 25, 2021.
The competition is designed to help secondary school students develop their knowledge, understanding, and application of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.
In a time that conversations are sprouting about the need for government to review the country’s educational system and make an assessment of students more exhibitory than theoretical and examination-oriented, the University of Ghana’s School of Law’s concept of Secondary Schools Moot Court Competition sounds like a step in the right direction.
The first edition of the competition was held in 2017, but due to financial constraints and the inception of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was put on hold till this year.
This year’s contest was between four schools out of which the two representatives of the St. Mary’s Senior High School carried the day.
The winners urged other students to partake in such competitions.
Aba Esaaba Sam said, “They should take advantage of every opportunity that comes. WASSCE is pending, but we devoted our time to do this and look at the results we got. We got to know a lot of people we will meet when we come later this year. They’ve already started knowing our names, and we know it’s going to be smooth for us.”
“…looking at how we were able to come out of our shells and talk like lawyers, it means that everyone has a particular place they can function. So they should not look down on themselves and say I’m not doing well in class. Maybe you’re out there to talk to advocate for people and this is a great opportunity. They should try very much to engage themselves in these activities because they actually help a lot in educating yourself”, Benedicta Afunya explained.
Associate Professor at the University of Ghana’s School of Law, Prof. Kwadwo Appiagyei-Atua, who is one of the organizers of the competition says, although funding has been a challenge, they hope to turn it into a nationwide contest.
“The schools are very keen to take part in the program. The enthusiasm displayed was very high so when this year, we couldn’t go nationwide, most of them were not happy. And so we’re looking forward to massive participation from next year. The key thing is about being able to get the funding and support that we need to be able to roll it out nationwide,” he stated.
He also commended the participants for their output and expressed confidence in the next generation of lawyers the country wil produce through this competition.
“With the show, they put up, we’re very much impressed. When I spoke to one of them she said she’s interested in becoming a lawyer, so she thought that this was the opportunity for her to display her lawyerly skills. So we’re very much enthused about what we have seen. It’s a strong indication that we have a generation of lawyers coming who will be strong advocates for human rights and justice in the country as a whole” he said.
The two representatives for the West African Senior High School who came second were Emmanuel Amoah and Isabella Owusuaa. The judges for this year’s competition were Prof Kofi Abotsi, Dean of the Faculty of law (UPSA), Prof. Kofi Quashigah, UG School of Law, and further dean, and Prof. Ken Attafuah, Executive Secretary, National Identification Authority.
ABOUT THE COMPETITION
The competition also provides a unique opportunity for students to develop their research, writing and oral advocacy skills. Additionally, it is to encourage talented students to consider pursuing a law career.
The competition started as a pilot in 2017 and featured eight secondary schools located within the Accra Metropolis, with St Thomas Aquinas emerging winners and Presbyterian Boys Secondary School, Legon (Presec) as runners-up.
Participating schools receive certificates of participation and other awards. The finalists are also given other prizes and the winners crowned with the coveted GSSMCC Trophy.
Supporting institutions include the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE), Child Rights International (CRI) and Africa Education Watch (AEW).
