Government plans to truncate post-grad courses to one year

Government plans to truncate post-grad courses to one year


New Delhi: The government plans to cut the duration of post-graduate (PG) degree courses from two years to one year. All streams, barring medicine, will have a shortened PG degree programme. At present, a PG degree in medicine takes three years to complete.
While the two-year courses will be condensed, but with the necessary ingredients, the government may toughen the admission criteria to allow entry only to the brightest graduates.
To begin with, PG in law (LLM) is being reviewed by a set of experts under the University Grants Commission (UGC).
The ministry of human resource development (HRD) has tasked the UGC to work out modalities to restructure the existing LLM from two years to one year, with selectivity in admission to attract the brightest graduates.
While there is debate among the ministry, the bar council and other stakeholders on how to go about it, the idea is being pushed by citing cases in other countries. “When it can happen in the US and the UK, then why not in India?’’ has been its logic.The ministry believes a shorter duration course will not only save crucial years for the students, but also attract more of them towards higher education and research.
“While the ministry is insisting on a shorter duration PG degree course, there is a view in the legal fraternity that the conventional processes in law cannot be concised in LLM. We are going to deliberate on this issue during a national consultation for reforms in legal education to be held this Saturday and Sunday in New Delhi,” said Priya Hingorani, vice president of the Supreme Court bar council.
Minister of state for HRD D Purandeswari made it clear that the proposal for PG law would be considered for other PG programmes as well. The UGC is holding consultations with the vice chancellors of the state and central universities in this regard.
“This proposal would be considered in respect of other post-graduate programmes of study which are amenable to restructuring without any compromise on the quality of education,” Purandeswari said.
At present, legal education is being imparted by 913 colleges recognised by the Bar Council of India and 14 national law universities established under various state laws.
While law minister M Veerappa Moily is himself on board with the HRD minister Kapil Sibal’s idea of reviewing the legal education, he doesn’t want to take a stand without the bar council on his side.
“One of the neglected areas of legal education in the country is post-graduate studies in law and research…We are looking for the prospects for national and international collaboration in improving the standards,” said Moily.


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