The National Youth Authority (NYA) has criticized attack by the Ghana Police Service during a peaceful demonstration by some law student against mass failure in the entrance exams on Monday.

The NYA said the police could have acted professionally to bring order rather than resorting to brutal force on the protesters.

This statement falls on the back of Monday’s attack by the Ghana Police Service on some aggrieved students who were protesting against the recent mass failure recorded in the entrance exams to the Ghana School of Law and to also call for reforms in the country’s legal education system.

Water cannons were fired on the law students while warning shots were fired as students tried to match to the Jubilee House.

Some protesters were also reportedly injured by rubber bullets while others were arrested.

The NYA in a press release described the incident as unfortunate as they called on the police service to exercise decorum and abide by professional conduct in the discharge of their duties.

They however assured the students that steps will be taken to find solution to the systematic problem.

Below is the full statement

The National Youth Authority (NYA) condemns without reservation the brutalities meted out by the police to some law students who were embarking on a peaceful demonstration against the recent mass failure recorded in the entrance exams to the Ghana School of Law among other concerns, and demanding for immediate reforms to legal education in the country.

As the statutory body charged with the mandate of championing the welfare of the youth of the country, the NYA finds the conduct of the police to these innocent young people who were only engaged in a democratic exercise in pursuit of their educational right as most unfortunate. Democratic policing demands that even if the students had defied the rules of engagement, the police ought to act professionally to bringing them to order rather than resorting to brutal force on unarmed and non-violent protestors.

The Authority is hereby imploring our able-bodied security officials to exercise restraint, decorum and abide by the professional code of conduct governing the police service. And to the disgruntled youth, we say, the NYA shares in your concerns but pleads with you to calm down as the authorities take steps to address your legitimate concerns. It cannot be emphasized that legal education needs some drastic reforms to respond to the exigencies of time.

The NYA wishes to assure the youth of Ghana particularly the demonstrating students that it has taken significant interest in this matter, and shall soon engage all the relevant stakeholders to explore ways of finding lasting solutions to this systemic problem that continues to plaque legal education in the country.

Sylvester Tetteh CEO, National Youth Authority