Parliament has enacted the Legal Education Bill, 2025, which lays the groundwork for substantial reforms in the nation’s legal education framework.
The Bill creates a Council for Legal Education and Training, tasked with overseeing legal education and establishing curriculum standards across various institutions.
A significant aspect of this legislation is the transition of the professional legal education and training program from the Ghana School of Law to accredited universities.
Within the new structure, a Law Practice Training Course will be introduced and provided by authorized universities to equip eligible candidates for the National Bar Examination.
During discussions in Parliament, the Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, remarked that the approval of the Bill fulfills the National Democratic Congress (NDC)’s pledge to enhance equity, fairness, and access to legal education in Ghana.
“As has been customary for the NDC, promises made are promises kept. We assured law students that if they supported us, we would implement reforms to guarantee equity, fairness, and access to legal education,” he stated.
Conversely, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin criticized the NDC government, alleging it has not fulfilled several of its significant campaign commitments. He contended that while the reform of legal education is vital, the government must also show dedication to other essential promises made to the citizens of Ghana.
“We have all been involved. This is not a bill associated with any single party. I acknowledge that they indeed made it a campaign promise. Mr. Speaker, however, they also pledged to establish a bank for women. We have completed year one and year two, yet we have not witnessed the Women Bank,” he expressed.
