Exempt Ghana School of Law from payment of 25% IGF — Barima Yaw Kodie Oppong

The Director of the Ghana School of Law (GSL), Barima Yaw Kodie Oppong, has emphasized the importance of exempting the school from allocating 25 percent of its internally generated funds (IGF) to the government. In pursuit of this exemption, he has appealed to the Speaker of Parliament to address their request.

During a ceremony to welcome new students to the professional law course in Accra, the director clarified that the school has been consistently contributing 25 percent of its IGF to the government yet has seen minimal returns in terms of infrastructure development.

Barima Oppong, also the Director of Legal Education, proposed that by eliminating this 25 percent payment, the school could allocate resources towards expanding infrastructure, facilitating the admission of more students, and addressing the legal needs of the public.

He pointed out that since the establishment of GSL in 1958, it has been the sole institution obligated to contribute a portion of its IGF to the government.

As an illustration, the director mentioned that in the previous year, the school made a payment exceeding GH¢12 million to the government. He further noted that, “until recently, the government was taking 34 percent of their IGF.”

The event centered around the theme “The importance of ethics in the advancement of legal education and practice.”

The students

The students, comprising 994 LLB students who successfully passed the entrance exam, were officiated in taking their oaths by Justice A. Asumah Oppong, a High Court Justice.

Plea

In a plea, Barima Oppong urged the Speaker, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, to address the request for the waiver that is currently before the House “so that at the next induction you will see massive construction works.”

“So I am very certain that within a short time you will be able to make a case for us not only to get all our IGF but also be on the back of other financial instruments to provide for us the needed accommodation,” the director added.

Adherence to ethics

Mr. Bagbin advised the students to refrain from behaviors that could tarnish the reputation of the legal profession. He encouraged them to acquaint themselves with ethical principles such as selflessness, dignity, integrity, honesty, truthfulness, probity, and accountability from the outset. This, he emphasized, would contribute to fostering trust in the legal profession.

“The aspiration is for students to be truly worthy of the noble title of “lawyer” at the conclusion of their courses, contributing positively to the legal community.

“The law is a powerful tool; its strength is derived from the ethics guiding its use.

Therefore, aspiring lawyers are urged to aspire to leave a legacy of ethical conduct, inspire trust, and serve as role models,” the Speaker added.

Advice

In a speech delivered on behalf of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, by the Solicitor-General, Mrs. Helen Akpene Awo Ziwu, it was noted that the emergence of technology has added complexity to ethical decision-making in contemporary times. This complexity, according to the statement, has resulted in numerous scandals and a rise in dissent, among other challenges.

Therefore, it stressed the importance for law students to develop ethical awareness before entering the legal profession to ensure they maintain their moral compass.

“The bottom line is that you need to develop a strong ethical education, which has become more important than any time in history.

The President of the Ghana Bar Association, Yaw Acheampong Boafo, emphasized the importance of discipline beyond classroom examinations while addressing the students.