Eight out of over 250 students of the Ghana Law School have dragged the General Legal Council (GLC) to the Human Rights Court, demanding the remarking of their ‘failed’ examination papers by an independent body.
The plaintiffs are Samson H.A.V. Oddoye, Eric Narh Kofi Akwetey, Blessing Eyra Kokui Agoada, Akurugu Awine Thomas, Hillary Buntugu, Richard Amarh, Godwin Kotey and Janet Afi Salakpi
The eight 2015/2016 academic year students are invoking the jurisdiction of the court by an application of judicial review for an order of mandamus to GLC to effect the remarking of examination papers deemed to have been below the pass mark.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs, in a 24-paragarah affidavit in support of the motion, stated the said academic year was special because the old system of professional legal education, which lasted for two years of purely classroom studies and examination, was abolished and replaced by a new system where classroom study was limited to one year divided into two semesters with examination at the end of each.
He said after the classroom work and examination, those deemed to have passed would go into internship with professional legal chambers or the courts for six months before the call to the Bar.
The plaintiffs said they were in this novel system and after the first semester, which lasted between October 2015 and May 2016, examinations were conducted in six subjects from May to June last year.
The eight applicants disclosed that after the said examination, no results were published for any student to know how well they fared in the first semester examination.
The lawyer said examination results which covered both the first and second semesters were published on December 19, 2016.
According to the applicants, no transcripts of results were made available to anybody, making it impossible for them to know how well they did in any paper.
The eight students, among others, averred that they made a formal request for remarking of the scripts by an independent body but same was refused.
The applicants, however, want to the court to order the GLC to grant the request for remarking of the failed scripts of the plaintiffs by an independent body.
By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson
jeffdegraft44@yahoo.com