Accreditation
Accreditation of institutions
The Council accredits institutions to offer law programmes and Law Practice Training, and sets the standards they must meet. Accreditation is a licence to teach law, and it is not permanent.
Why accreditation matters
Accreditation is the formal recognition by the Council that an institution meets the standards required to teach law.
It is a legal requirement
An institution must hold an accreditation licence before it offers or provides Law Practice Training. Doing so without a licence is a criminal offence.
Act 1170 · s.23
It protects students
Qualifications from an accredited institution are recognised for the purposes of the National Bar Examination. Qualifications from an unaccredited institution may not be.
It assures quality
Accreditation confirms that an institution meets the standards set for curriculum, faculty, library, and infrastructure.
It is continuing
A licence is not permanent. The Council inspects accredited institutions every academic year, and a licence may be suspended or revoked.
Act 1170 · s.35
The standards
The Council sets accreditation standards in collaboration with the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission. They cover what an institution teaches, who teaches it, and the conditions in which it is taught.
Educational standards
The Council sets standards covering the qualification of academic staff, the lecturer to student ratio, physical facilities and equipment, library resources in physical and digital form, and any other requirement for a conducive learning environment.
Act 1170 · s.48
Curriculum oversight
An accredited institution shall run only programmes and use a curriculum approved by the Council. The curriculum is reviewed every five years so that it accords with contemporary demands for legal services.
Act 1170 · s.50(1)
Non-discrimination
Institutions must not discriminate against applicants on grounds of race, gender, place of origin, colour, religion, social or economic status, language, or any form of disability.
Act 1170 · s.46
Academic freedom
Institutions must formulate policies on academic freedom that protect the freedom of lecturers to state positions on legal concepts without fear of reprisal, and that support scholarship, research, debate, and public service.
Act 1170 · s.61
Disability inclusion
Institutions must maintain infrastructure accessible to persons with disability and may adopt special admission measures to increase their representation in the legal community.
Act 1170 · s.47
Practical training
The curriculum must build practice-based skills: advocacy, legal research, drafting, trial practice, transactional skills, alternative dispute resolution, client service, and professional ethics.
Act 1170 · s.49(g)
More on accreditation
How accreditation is granted
The joint pathway operated with the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission: one application, one inspection, one outcome.
Licences
Provisional and full accreditation licences, how long each lasts, and the grounds for suspension and revocation.
Compliance and inspection
The annual inspection regime and the record-keeping and reporting obligations that come with a licence.
The public register
Section 31 of the Act requires the Council to publish the name of every licensed institution within fourteen days of issuing a licence. The register on this website is that publication.