The Second Deputy Ranking Member on the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, Francis Xavier-Sosu, has hit back at the Attorney General (AG) saying that the State is obligated to ensure that all Ghanaians have access to education.
In a Twitter post, the Madina Member of Parliament said admission to the “law school is not a privilege.
“Articles 37 and 38 of our Constitution requires the State to provide adequate educational facilities to guarantee equal access and opportunities to life long education. without limits.”
Law School is not a privilege, it is a constitutional right for every qualified Ghanaian. Articles 37 and 38 of our Constitution requires the State to provide adequate educational facilities to guarantee equal access and opportunities to “life long education” without limits.
— Francis-Xavier Sosu (@fx_sosu) November 4, 2021
The Attorney General, Godfred Dame, speaking at the induction ceremony of new executives of the Ghana Bar Association earlier this week, said that the practice of law is a privilege and not a right.
“Mr President and new executives, you owe a duty to drive home the point that the practice of law is not a right, it is a privilege. Along with it comes a moral obligation and a legal duty to uphold the dignity of the profession to ensure that the privileged call to the bar is not abused through unprincipled and disreputable conduct,” he said.
Mr Dame’s statement comes in the midst of a standoff between Parliament and the General Legal Council.
Parliament, through a resolution, directed the General Legal Council to admit 499 candidates who were unsuccessful in their attempt to enrol in the Ghana School of Law.
Parliament further directed the Attorney General to ensure that the resolution is respected.
But Mr Dame, in a letter addressed to the Speaker, argued that Parliament cannot use a Resolution to make such directions.