Law School entrance exams abolished under new law – Dafeamekpor

Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, the Majority Chief Whip, announced that students applying to the Ghana School of Law will no longer need to take entrance exams under the new Legal Education Reform law. On Eyewitness News, he stated that reports about entrance exams being held in July were incorrect and that the new law has ended the exam requirement.

Dafeamekpor also mentioned that a notice about the exams was not approved by the Independent Examination Committee and was shared without proper authorization. He claimed that some lawyers have turned the entrance exam process into a way to make money by holding paid preparation classes for prospective law students.

He argued that the move to abolish the entrance exams has faced pushback from those who profit from it. “Some colleagues are making money from the entrance exams. They are misleading students by offering extra classes for the tests,” he said.

However, Kwaku Ansa-Asare, the former Director of the Ghana School of Law, clarified that entrance exams will still take place this year, despite President John Dramani Mahama signing the Legal Education Reform Bill, 2025 into law. Ansa-Asare stated that claims about the new law cancelling this year’s exams are incorrect and that the General Legal Council can still organize them under current law.

He explained that the new law does not cancel the existing rules for law school admissions. “The new bill does not override the current law, so the General Legal Council can still conduct entrance exams,” he said.

These differing views come after President Mahama signed the new law, which ends the Ghana School of Law’s 66-year control over professional legal training and allows other accredited schools to offer law courses. The new law aims to increase access to legal education in Ghana, responding to concerns about limited admissions and strict entry requirements.