KNUST Law Faculty Freshers advised to prioritize their mental health

Fresh Men and Women at the Law Faculty at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology(KNUST) have been advised to prioritize their mental health as they start the Journey to become Lawyers.

According to Hon Diana Asonaba Dapaah who is Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice, it’s imperative that law students do not take the essence of extracurricular activities for granted.

She is of the belief that a better balance between academic work and extracurricular activities in the University will ensure the sanity of the students.

Diana Asonaba Dapaah made this known when she spoke at the Law School’s induction on March 24, 2022.

The Deputy Attorney General also used the opportunity to remind the students of the need to ensure that they build healthy relationships while on campus as it will go a long way to help them after they have left campus.

“On a lighter note, do not be dismissive of the importance of the extracurricular
activities that abound on campus, particularly on your mental health. I encourage you
to balance the stress of being a law student, expected to read volumes of cases each day
with the need to take care of your health, particularly your mental health while you are
here. While you queue at the Gaza waakye (as I did as a student) or the banku at Queens
hall or the fufu behind Conti hall or engage in similar non-academic ventures, I do hope
that you take a moment to strike healthy friendships that will generate into useful
networks in your working world. Trust me, you will need it!”

Diana Asonaba Dapaah used the opportunity to recall her days at the Law Faculty of the University and how it shaped her to become who she currently indicating that “Perhaps, you can start by taking an active interest in serving this Faculty as I did, as the
first female president of the Law Students Union, a position which opened doors for
me as it helped to cut my teeth in leadership”.

Read Her Full Speech Below

SPEECH BY DAG DIANA ASONABA DAPAAH
KNUST FACULTY OF LAW MAIDEN INDUCTION CEREMONY
1
KNUST FACULTY OF LAW MAIDEN INDUCTION CEREMONY:
Keynote Address by Ms. Diana Asonaba Dapaah (Deputy Attorney-General and
Deputy Minister for Justice)
Date: 24 th March, 2022
Venue: Faculty of Law Auditorium, KNUST
The Pro Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ellis Owusu-Dabo, representing the Vice
Chancellor, Prof. Rita Akosua Dickson
The Provost, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Prof Charles Ofosu
Marfo
The Supervising High Court Judge of the Ashanti and Northern Regions, my
Lord Justice Kofi Akrowia
My learned friends of the Ghana Bar Association herein present
Dear Dean, Faculty and Staff of the Faculty of Law, KNUST
My dear students
Ladies and gentlemen
It is with a myriad of fond memories that I walked through the main entrance to this
University. First seeing KNUST JHS on my left just at the roundabout, I had a sudden
feeling of nostalgia and an indescribable sense of gratitude as I saw the junior high
school that nurtured and propelled me to return here to the Kwame Nkrumah
University of Science and Technology, which I call home, to pursue my first degree.SPEECH BY DAG DIANA ASONABA DAPAAH
KNUST FACULTY OF LAW MAIDEN INDUCTION CEREMONY
2
Within the about five minutes’ drive from the main entrance of the University to this
auditorium, I saw my life from 2004 to 2008 replayed before my mind’s eye. It then
dawned on me the cocktail of feelings our inductees must be feeling at this moment as
you take this giant step into what can be one life changing step, depending on how you
plan it.
A very warm welcome especially to the inductees of the Faculty of Law of this
prestigious University. I am elated to join friends, families and staff here to welcome
you to your new home and community and also look forward to getting to know you
and to hear of your various unique journeys of discovery in this wonderful University.
My experiences as a former student of this prestigious Faculty during the years 2004-
2008 give me the courage to assure you that this is a genuinely warm and welcoming
community and I hope and confidently believe that all you inductees will find it so as
well. It was on this fertile ground where I learnt key principles and life-skills most of
which have gone a long way to shape my career even to the point where I find myself
– as a Deputy Attorney General and Deputy Minister for Justice of the Republic of
Ghana. Who would have thought that 18years ago when we were sweating to brief the
then Mr. Owusu Dapaah’s cases, one of his students would be giving the keynote
speech at an induction ceremony a few years down the line. Clearly, this soil prepared
us well!
This Faculty and the University at large offers a community in which every individual
is valued, supported and encouraged to be the best that they can be. It is one in which
our students achieve excellent academic and extra-curricular success. In this
community, each student is free to be genuinely themselves without having to conformSPEECH BY DAG DIANA ASONABA DAPAAH
KNUST FACULTY OF LAW MAIDEN INDUCTION CEREMONY
3
to a pattern or a mould – one that respects individuality and individual choices. It is a
community marked by a strong sense of belonging, and of what I call “the fellowship of
friends.” Thus, should you have problems or worries, as you will definitely from time to
time, there is always someone willing to help.
Again, I recall with nostalgia, when as the second group to be admitted into the then
young law faculty in 2004, my class and the class before us (which had students such as
Dr. Samuel Adarkwah, now a lecturer here) had our lectures in one of the old buildings
just around where you will come to know as the commercial area. Encouraged daily by
our lecturers, such as the present Dean and the then Vice Dean, Mr. Albert Amankwah
of blessed memory, our minds were shut to our lack of resources but focused rather on
the prospects of becoming lawyers with the little resources available. I am elated to see
some of my lecturers here still going strong; the Vice Dean, Prof. Seneadza, Dr.
Sondem, Dr. Renee Morhe and to welcome back home, Dr. Acheanpong. Through it
all, the love of friends, the blessings of family established with one another on campus
and especially within the Faculty solidified our resolve.
Thankfully, the Faculty can now boast of substantial resources needed to make your
time here as successful as possibly can be. This translates into higher expectations and
no room for excuses on your part.
This Faculty has always aspired to be an environment where students can integrate
learning and living, with a focus on activities that are academic, more broadly
intellectual, cultural, spiritual, social, amongst others. We want students to learn from
their fellow students in a manner that allows them to engage in broadening extra-
curricular activities. The Faculty aims to excel in all these dimensions. For me, you are
at the right place, at the right time!SPEECH BY DAG DIANA ASONABA DAPAAH
KNUST FACULTY OF LAW MAIDEN INDUCTION CEREMONY
4
While this community is a community characterized by freedom, in which every student
must learn to make wise use of their freedom, it is also a community with values and
rules. Of course, no genuine Faculty can be a value-free or rule-free environment
because behaving with consideration and respect for others is essential for lively young
people to successfully live and learn together. As it is said, “where there is no law, there is no
freedom.” This Faculty, which you have joined, is founded on rules and values and these
values we all stood by and you are expected to do same.
Amongst the values for which it stands, this Faculty has an unshakable commitment to
the values of respect and dignity for all – respect and dignity for all individuals within
our community and in the wider University community. This includes an unshakable
commitment to equality of respect for women and men alike. I would thus ask you to
work with the Faculty to ensure that together you work to uphold this commitment.
There are lots of good ways to do this thing called law school. Your job, however, is to
find the one that is right for you.
I would like to share five (5) key nuggets to help you achieve that.
1. Do not worry about what you do not know:
When many of us alumni started reading law at this Faculty, we were scared that we did
not get what we were supposed to be learning. Mostly, being amongst the first in your
family to study law and eventually becoming a lawyer, it is possible that you may not
know many lawyers or what this whole law thing is about. The first few semesters would
seem as though everyone around you grasps what is going on in class except you. ThisSPEECH BY DAG DIANA ASONABA DAPAAH
KNUST FACULTY OF LAW MAIDEN INDUCTION CEREMONY
5
is normal! Remember that you are here to learn what you do not know yet. I thus urge
you to remain calm, seek out mentors, connect with the Faculty and do not worry too
much. The bottom line is that you would learn what you need to know and you will do
very well in your respective careers. Related to this, be humble enough to seek help
from your colleagues and seniors who may get it quicker than you do. After all, there is
no value to ignorance in arrogance.
2. Law school is not just about learning stuff; it is about learning how to
think:
While learning rules is an important part of the legal training, you must note that it is
far more important to learn to think like a lawyer – to break apart a problem into its
essential parts and to see what is really at stake. It is almost impossible to have a deep
understanding of law if you do not think about it critically. All lawyers, whether in
private practice or in public office, are responsible for the integrity of the legal system.
Law is powerful and has great capacity for good and for ill. Thus, if you are going to do
a good job as a lawyer, you must always be prepared to question, criticize and look
behind decisions made in the name of the law. That is the high calling of our great
profession.
3. It is part of the profession which you aspire to join – to disagree with each
other:SPEECH BY DAG DIANA ASONABA DAPAAH
KNUST FACULTY OF LAW MAIDEN INDUCTION CEREMONY
6
I want you to note that our legal system is an adversarial one, accordingly it is set up
precisely so that lawyers have to deal with the best arguments against them all the time.
Learning how to disagree with one another is an important part of legal education. If
you don’t take the other side seriously, you will not hear the strength in the other side’s
arguments and you will not know what points you most need to answer in order to
persuade someone who may or may not start from the same assumption as you do.
Therefore, learn to frame your disagreements with mutual respect. It is your job to
debate vigorously and to have the courage of your convictions. You must leaven that
courage with empathy and must never ever denigrate the humanity of others.
4. Be a person of integrity:
As an aspiring lawyer, think creatively about how to help your clients achieve their
objectives. In the process, it is your duty to learn to say no when the law requires it; it
is your duty to recommend settlement if need be. As a lawyer, one is a guardian of the
rule of law. That is your distinctive function. One is uniquely responsible for the
integrity of law, of process, of factfinding, truth-finding. That is a high-calling. A lawyer
is a special person who is able to break complex problems into their components, to
see their structure and to put them back together. That is how we are trained in this
Faculty – from generation to generation. It is your duty to carry out this powerful
mandate with integrity. Be a person of integrity always!
5. Do what you really care about – whilst studying and practicing the lawSPEECH BY DAG DIANA ASONABA DAPAAH
KNUST FACULTY OF LAW MAIDEN INDUCTION CEREMONY
7
I want you not to forget the person you always pictured when you dreamt of reading
law and becoming a lawyer. The one who was eager to lead; who wants to change things
and to make the world better. Remember always and work towards being that person.
There is absolutely no doubt that you will be great lawyers in future if you commit to
the course. You will be successful at whatever you do. But that makes it easier to go on
autopilot. So, I am here to tell you – discover what you really care about and do it! Do
something you really care about. Use your skills and legal knowledge to be a person of
change.
Against the backdrop of these nuggets, be prepared to learn, unlearn and relearn. The
world as we now call it, the global world, is ready for women and men who are creative
and innovative in all spheres of profession. Consequently, it is imperative that you
embrace best practices in this technologically advancing world. Look beyond Ghana
and aspire to make impact here and beyond while keeping your feet firmly grounded by
your virtues.
On a lighter note, do not be dismissive of the importance of the extra-curricular
activities that abound on campus, particularly on your mental health. I encourage you
to balance the stress of being a law student, expected to read volumes of cases each day
with the need to take care of your health, particularly your mental health while you are
here. While you queue at the Gaza waakye (as I did as a student) or the banku at Queens
hall or the fufu behind Conti hall or engage in similar non-academic ventures, I do hope
that you take a moment to strike healthy friendships that will generate into useful
networks in your working world. Trust me, you will need it!
ConclusionSPEECH BY DAG DIANA ASONABA DAPAAH
KNUST FACULTY OF LAW MAIDEN INDUCTION CEREMONY
8
My dear inductees,
There is indeed no better time to be a law student and hopefully soon a lawyer. This
ever-dynamic world we live in needs brilliant people like you to serve humanity. The
satisfaction of serving that high calling is embedded in the pursuit of the highest ideals
of law and justice. It has been a distinct honour to help induct you into this prestigious
Faculty and I am convinced that you will grow to have very impactful lives and careers.
To be candid, I also hope that you will think about how you can serve this Faculty in
future. I hope that you will recognize your responsibility to do all you can throughout
your stay here and beyond to make this Faculty an even better place for those who
come after you.
Perhaps, you can start by taking active interest in serving this Faculty as I did, as the
first female president of the Law Students Union, a position which opened doors for
me as it helped to cut my teeth in leadership.
A wonderful opportunity awaits you as new students of this Faculty and University.
It is once again a delight to welcome you, ‘freshers,’ to this Faculty and to say how much
I look forward to your successful years here and calling you, my ‘learned friends’ in the
not so distant future.
God be with you all; I wish you well!
When in distress, please remember James 1: 5, ‘If any of you lacks wisdom, you
should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be
given to you.’ (New International Version).
I thank you all for your kind attention.

Source: MyNewsGh.com/ 2022

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