Government mulls major reforms in legal education
New Delhi: The Ministry of Law and Justice, in collaboration with the Bar Council of India (BCI) and National Law University, Delhi, is organising a 'National Consultation for Second Generation Reforms in Legal Education' on May 1 and 2, 2010 at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi which will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister and the Chief Justice of India will deliver a special address.
The Union Minister for Law & Justice, Dr. M. Veerappa Moily, would present a vision statement for 'Second Generation Reforms in Legal Education.'
The purpose of the said National Consultation is to identify the major challenges the legal education is facing at present and to draw a roadmap for bringing radical institutional reforms in legal education to meet not only the requirements of the bar but the needs of trade, commerce and industry in view of growing internationalization of the legal profession.
The National Consultation would be attended by judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts, Attorney General for India, Solicitor General of India and Additional Solicitors Generals, Chairman and other members of the BCI and State Bar Councils, leading lawyers, eminent professors of Law, faculty members of Law Universities/ Colleges and other institutions.
India currently faces the major challenges in the field of providing legal education to respond to global challenges.
"Although, India has emerged as a leading global hub for the knowledge based service industry for the past decade but it still needs a revolution to meet and respond to global challenges in providing services particularly by the lawyers whether in litigation or non-litigation side," said an official press release.
At present, professional legal education is being imparted by 913 colleges recognized by the BCI and 14 National Law Universities/ schools established under the State Acts.
The BCI under the Advocates Act, 1961 has made rules to regulate the legal education but the standard of legal education does not meet the present day requirements of the legal profession.
The matter relating to the legal education has been examined by the Law Commission of India in its 184th Report on Legal Education and Professional Training and Proposals for Amendments to the Advocates Act, 1961 and the University Grants Commission (UGC) Act, 1956 (2002).
In the recent past, the National Knowledge Commission (NKC) has made certain recommendations in its report particularly in the area of research inlegal education.
In this National Consultation, various issues relating to legal education will be discussed, e.g., the objects of legal education, the priorities in legal education reform, the roles and responsibilities in this regard of the government, BCI, universities and management of law colleges; what makes a system of legal education world class in competitive excellence and what is the agenda for educationists, jurists, judges and advocates for directing the system towards revival and rejuvenation; given the changes in the role of law-trained persons, it will also be examined how can legal pedagogy teaching methods respond to the changing demands.
It will assess how far they fulfill the demands of knowledge, skills, attitudes and ethics required for legally trained persons.
Due to unprecedented and fast changes in the society and economy, the law curriculum lags behind and is not sufficiently reflective of the knowledge and skills required of legally trained persons.
Curriculum development is a continuing process for which teachers have the primary responsibility. The issues as to how does the curriculum reflect itself in syllabi and teaching plans will be the highlight of this Consultation for improving standard of legal education in the country.
In order to be able to effectively implement the reforms in legal education in India, law teaching must focus on developing students’ critical and analytical abilities through classroom exercises and training designed for the said purpose.
In order to develop a framework to bring about these changes, it has been considered worth to examine the experiences of law teachers in other jurisdictions and to identify the scope for implementing effective teaching and training methods employed successfully elsewhere.
"One of the neglected areas of legal education in the country is post-graduate studies in law and research," feels an official.
This has resulted in poor quality research output and dearth of quality law teachers to serve the ever-expanding legal education sector.
"We are looking for the prospects for national and international collaboration in improving standards of post-graduate studies in law as also to strengthen law publications for quality development," mentioned the press release.
Professionalism demands learning at work or learning by doing under professional supervision and to keep abreast with professional developments.
Most of the Law Colleges/Law Schools at present are not adequately equipped for the tasks involved.
Recently, the Directorate of Legal Education, established by the BCI, has the challenge to organize, supervise and deliver continuing legal education to a million legal professionals, growing by ten per cent every year.
"Taking lessons from the Bar of other developed countries, we will consider the ways and means by which such partnership can be established, and can be made functional to the advantage of practicing professionals as well as of the Law Colleges/Law Schools," it further added.
The legal profession is not a business, rather a profession requiring certain standards and etiquette to be followed by its members.
The fundamental aim of legal ethics is to maintain the honour and dignity of the profession, to secure a spirit of friendly cooperation between the bench and the Bar in the promotion of the highest standards of administration of justice.
It includes standards of conduct both of the members of the profession and the judiciary.
The BCI has laid down certain standards of conduct and etiquette of the members of the Bar.
It will be discussed in this Consultation what it means to be a member of the legal profession and also re-evaluate the ethical standards with a view to enhancing the level of service provided by the legal profession to the community at large.
The role of law schools in social transformation, particularly, of the disadvantaged sections envisaged by the Indian Constitution will be another major highlight of this Consultation for purpose of inclusive growth.
It will be examined how can law schools contribute towards law reform for the marginalized and discriminated sections of society and what is the role of law schools in legal aid services and administration of justice and also to make law schools partners in social transformation, social justice and inclusive development.
Students in the National Law Schools, upon graduation prefer to opt a career in major corporate law firms in contrast to a career in litigation or the government.
At the same time, the demand for corporate lawyers in light of India's globalizing economy is increasing at a rapid pace.
The issues for consideration in this Consultation are why do students from National Law Schools seem to prefer careers in corporate law firms; how can the legal education system cater to the emerging needs of the new economy.
It will also examine how to organize training and education for alternate dispute resolution systems, especially arbitration.
A large number of legal education providers in India are privately administered law colleges.
While National Law Schools and government Law Colleges cater to the needs of a few in terms of legal education, the needs of the many are still met by the private sector.
If legal education is to be improved, it is essential to maintain, monitor and promote standards in education throughout the range of legal education institutions in various parts of the country, including private law colleges.
The quality of legal education provided in these institutions differs widely from institution to institution, and there is a need to ensure that certain minimum standards are maintained by all such law colleges, at the same time encouraging the best to compete with the State-funded institutions.
In the valedictory session, Union Minister for Law and Justice would present draft resolutions based on the discussion and deliberation to take place in ten technical sessions on May 1 and 2, 2010.
Justice S. H. Kapadia, Judge Supreme Court would give valedictory address while Kapil Sibal, Union Minister for Human Resources Development (HRD) would give special address.
Source Link: http://www.indiaedunews.net/Law/Government_mulls_major_reforms_in_legal_education_11384/
Thursday, April 22, 2010
FY BSc at Gujarat University will now be taught only in English medium
FY BSc at Gujarat University will now be taught only in English medium
Ahmedabad: The Gujarat University has decided that the medium of instruction in First Year of Bachelor of Science will be English starting from the June 2010 term.
The decision was taken at a meeting of principals of science colleges affiliated to GU on Wednesday.There are eight science colleges in the city with around 4800 seats.
So far 2400 seats were for Gujarati medium students, while the rest were for English medium. Initially, English will be compulsory in FY BSc and then extended to TY BSc.
The university authorities are of the opinion that the move will benefit students in pursuing higher education."The move will help the students in pursuing MSc, MPhil and PhD. It will also increase the percentage acquired by the students," said vice-chancellor of Gujarat University Parimal Trivedi.
BK Jain, principal of MG Science Institute, appreciated the move. "Students from Gujarati medium are not likely to face any trouble in the new arrangement. In engineering and medicine, English is already the medium of instruction and Gujarati medium students perform well in these disciplines," said Jain.
The principals were also of the opinion that English is the need of the hour.They feel that the university's move to make English compulsory as a medium of instruction in BSc will make the students more competitive.
"With globalisation, more and more multinational companies are coming to colleges for campus interview and they are picking English medium students," said Vishnu Prasad, principal of CU Shah Science College.
Jain also said that there is a dearth of science literature in Gujarati. The GU's move is also expected to help students who wish to pursue higher education abroad.
Source Link: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_fy-bsc-at-gujarat-university-will-now-be-taught-only-in-english-medium_1374140
Ahmedabad: The Gujarat University has decided that the medium of instruction in First Year of Bachelor of Science will be English starting from the June 2010 term.
The decision was taken at a meeting of principals of science colleges affiliated to GU on Wednesday.There are eight science colleges in the city with around 4800 seats.
So far 2400 seats were for Gujarati medium students, while the rest were for English medium. Initially, English will be compulsory in FY BSc and then extended to TY BSc.
The university authorities are of the opinion that the move will benefit students in pursuing higher education."The move will help the students in pursuing MSc, MPhil and PhD. It will also increase the percentage acquired by the students," said vice-chancellor of Gujarat University Parimal Trivedi.
BK Jain, principal of MG Science Institute, appreciated the move. "Students from Gujarati medium are not likely to face any trouble in the new arrangement. In engineering and medicine, English is already the medium of instruction and Gujarati medium students perform well in these disciplines," said Jain.
The principals were also of the opinion that English is the need of the hour.They feel that the university's move to make English compulsory as a medium of instruction in BSc will make the students more competitive.
"With globalisation, more and more multinational companies are coming to colleges for campus interview and they are picking English medium students," said Vishnu Prasad, principal of CU Shah Science College.
Jain also said that there is a dearth of science literature in Gujarati. The GU's move is also expected to help students who wish to pursue higher education abroad.
Source Link: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_fy-bsc-at-gujarat-university-will-now-be-taught-only-in-english-medium_1374140
Faith in God reduces stress, says a university research
Faith in God reduces stress, says a university research
Having faith in God certainly helps! Researchers at the University of Toronto have found that believing in God can reduce stress and anxiety immensely. The result, published in Psychological Science, shows distinct brain differences between believers and nonbelievers.
Assistant psychology professor Michael Inzlicht, leader of the study, used a Stroop task, a psychological test that entailed hooking up participants to electrodes that measured their brain activity. The result showed that religious people were less afraid of facing the unknown or committing mistakes, says a report published in 7th Space.
Compared to non-believers, the religious participants in the study showed significantly less activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a portion of the brain that helps modify behaviour by signalling when attention and control are needed, usually as a result of some anxiety-producing event like making a mistake.
The stronger their religious zeal, the less their ACC fired in response to their own errors, and the fewer errors they made.
“You could think of this part of the brain like a cortical alarm bell that rings when an individual has just made a mistake or experiences uncertainty,” Inzlicht said in an interview to a health journal.
He added that religious people or even people who simply believe in the existence of God showed significantly less brain activity in relation to their own errors.
Many researchers agree that believers tend to be happier, healthier, less stressed than compared to atheists, drink and smoke less and better at creating strong marriages and family support.
Hailing this research, Beato, author of The Power of Prayer, Endurance and Truth said,” I believe my life is less stressful because my belief in God,” says Beato. “God has given me support, hope and peace of mind anytime I’ve needed it."
Source Link: http://learnhub.com/news/1009-faith-in-god-reduces-stress-says-a-university-research
Having faith in God certainly helps! Researchers at the University of Toronto have found that believing in God can reduce stress and anxiety immensely. The result, published in Psychological Science, shows distinct brain differences between believers and nonbelievers.
Assistant psychology professor Michael Inzlicht, leader of the study, used a Stroop task, a psychological test that entailed hooking up participants to electrodes that measured their brain activity. The result showed that religious people were less afraid of facing the unknown or committing mistakes, says a report published in 7th Space.
Compared to non-believers, the religious participants in the study showed significantly less activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a portion of the brain that helps modify behaviour by signalling when attention and control are needed, usually as a result of some anxiety-producing event like making a mistake.
The stronger their religious zeal, the less their ACC fired in response to their own errors, and the fewer errors they made.
“You could think of this part of the brain like a cortical alarm bell that rings when an individual has just made a mistake or experiences uncertainty,” Inzlicht said in an interview to a health journal.
He added that religious people or even people who simply believe in the existence of God showed significantly less brain activity in relation to their own errors.
Many researchers agree that believers tend to be happier, healthier, less stressed than compared to atheists, drink and smoke less and better at creating strong marriages and family support.
Hailing this research, Beato, author of The Power of Prayer, Endurance and Truth said,” I believe my life is less stressful because my belief in God,” says Beato. “God has given me support, hope and peace of mind anytime I’ve needed it."
Source Link: http://learnhub.com/news/1009-faith-in-god-reduces-stress-says-a-university-research
Cambridge University to train Indian Police Force
Cambridge University to train Indian Police Force
In order to achieve knowledge based policing and provide research based training to police officers, the O P Jindal Global University has signed a formal pact with the University of Cambridge, UK. Academicians from the field of law and crime from both the universities will come together to develop a special training programme and enrich the knowledge of the police officers, says a media report.
Lawrence W Sherman, Wolfson Professor of Criminology and Director, Police Executive Education, Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge told an education-based portal that the university needs to emphasise on training the police executive officers for strengthening the current police system. He also added that knowledge-based policing is essential for a system supported with evidence based crime prevention.
With steps like Crime and criminal tracking network system (CCTNS), Unique Identification Number (UIN) and National Grid already being undertaken by the government for the advancement of the police force, Ashwani Kumar, Director, CBI, said that they welcome the various pacts being signed which will strengthen the Indian policing system.
Source Link: http://learnhub.com/news/1006-cambridge-university-to-train-indian-police-force
In order to achieve knowledge based policing and provide research based training to police officers, the O P Jindal Global University has signed a formal pact with the University of Cambridge, UK. Academicians from the field of law and crime from both the universities will come together to develop a special training programme and enrich the knowledge of the police officers, says a media report.
Lawrence W Sherman, Wolfson Professor of Criminology and Director, Police Executive Education, Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge told an education-based portal that the university needs to emphasise on training the police executive officers for strengthening the current police system. He also added that knowledge-based policing is essential for a system supported with evidence based crime prevention.
With steps like Crime and criminal tracking network system (CCTNS), Unique Identification Number (UIN) and National Grid already being undertaken by the government for the advancement of the police force, Ashwani Kumar, Director, CBI, said that they welcome the various pacts being signed which will strengthen the Indian policing system.
Source Link: http://learnhub.com/news/1006-cambridge-university-to-train-indian-police-force
IIM Kozhikode will offer an Executive Post Graduate Programme in management studies on an interactive distance learning platform
IIM Kozhikode will offer an Executive Post Graduate Programme in management studies on an interactive distance learning platform
IIM Kozhikode (IIM-K) has collaborated with Hughes Net Global Education and will offer an Executive Post Graduate Programme (ePGP) in management studies on an interactive distance learning (IDL) platform to enable working executives acquire a career edge.
The programme, with the help of interactive classroom sessions, aims to provide management education to working professionals to enhance their skills and enable them to complete their post-graduation from an IIM.
The initial programme launched in 2009 saw 150 professionals being certified, director of IIM-K Debashis Chatterjee said.
"IIM-K is focused on learning as a tool to upgrade skills and improve career prospects. We have partnered with Hughes Net Global Education who have excellent platform for classroom learning," he said.
The two-year course comprises 810 classroom instruction hours and 90 hours on-campus learning. During the first year, the curriculum focuses on general management, while in the second year it offers specialisation in two functional areas from marketing, finance, strategy and operations management.
"This course is designed to provide a thorough understanding of specialised management functions and thus enable students to advance in their careers by way of promotions and better jobs and is similar to the residential PGP program available at IIM-K," Chatterjee said.
HughesNet Global Education is a satellite based education and training service initiative by Hughes for corporate and working professionals and students.
(PTI)
Source Link: http://www.businessworld.in/bw/2010_04_20_Beyond_The_Boundaries.html
IIM Kozhikode (IIM-K) has collaborated with Hughes Net Global Education and will offer an Executive Post Graduate Programme (ePGP) in management studies on an interactive distance learning (IDL) platform to enable working executives acquire a career edge.
The programme, with the help of interactive classroom sessions, aims to provide management education to working professionals to enhance their skills and enable them to complete their post-graduation from an IIM.
The initial programme launched in 2009 saw 150 professionals being certified, director of IIM-K Debashis Chatterjee said.
"IIM-K is focused on learning as a tool to upgrade skills and improve career prospects. We have partnered with Hughes Net Global Education who have excellent platform for classroom learning," he said.
The two-year course comprises 810 classroom instruction hours and 90 hours on-campus learning. During the first year, the curriculum focuses on general management, while in the second year it offers specialisation in two functional areas from marketing, finance, strategy and operations management.
"This course is designed to provide a thorough understanding of specialised management functions and thus enable students to advance in their careers by way of promotions and better jobs and is similar to the residential PGP program available at IIM-K," Chatterjee said.
HughesNet Global Education is a satellite based education and training service initiative by Hughes for corporate and working professionals and students.
(PTI)
Source Link: http://www.businessworld.in/bw/2010_04_20_Beyond_The_Boundaries.html
Admission queries a click away
Admission queries a click away
For students like Saurabh Kumavat, cracking the Common Admission Test (CAT) to secure admission in the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) comes with its share of concerns.
But, there are channels available that help students like him take a smoother test.
A similar channel is Minglebox, a dot com company that offers services like help with online admissions and counselling amongst a host of other features, all for free.
“With four years of experience we have recognised common concerns that parents and students face while seeking admission in a management school or any other discipline,” said Kavita Iyer, CEO and Co-founder, Minglebox.com.
Minglebox has features like B-school recommender — a quick way to choose options like budget, location of the school; e-CAT Prep — an online platform for CAT preparation and online App 2010 that enables students to apply to more than 100 B-schools.
Source Link: http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/admission-queriesclick-away/392315/
For students like Saurabh Kumavat, cracking the Common Admission Test (CAT) to secure admission in the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) comes with its share of concerns.
But, there are channels available that help students like him take a smoother test.
A similar channel is Minglebox, a dot com company that offers services like help with online admissions and counselling amongst a host of other features, all for free.
“With four years of experience we have recognised common concerns that parents and students face while seeking admission in a management school or any other discipline,” said Kavita Iyer, CEO and Co-founder, Minglebox.com.
Minglebox has features like B-school recommender — a quick way to choose options like budget, location of the school; e-CAT Prep — an online platform for CAT preparation and online App 2010 that enables students to apply to more than 100 B-schools.
Source Link: http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/admission-queriesclick-away/392315/
LU teacher seeks more time
LU teacher seeks more time
LUCKNOW: The six-member committee set up by Lucknow University vice-chancellor (VC) Prof MK Mishra to probe into allegations of `sexual harassment' levelled against a teacher will take a little longer to investigate and find out the truth.
The girl students of second semester of bachelor of tourism administration course had accused their teacher Ajai Kumar of indecent behaviour and acdemic laxity in their written complaint submitted to the V-C on April 8. It was on April 9 that the V-C had constituted a committee and made Prof Rakesh Chandra, dean, students welfare, LU, the convenor of the committee.
The committee was to give the report within a week. However, the committee which recorded the statements of 35 students and the teacher has asked the V-C for a little more time. The final report which was to be submitted by Wednesday afternoon will now be handed over to the V-C on April 27.
"We need little more time for deliberations," said Prof Chandra. The contents of the report have not been discussed by the committee so far. Though most of the members could have already signed the report by Tuesday itself. The matter being sensitive has kept committee from disclosing it.
Source Link: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/LU-teacher-seeks-more-time-/articleshow/5841952.cms
LUCKNOW: The six-member committee set up by Lucknow University vice-chancellor (VC) Prof MK Mishra to probe into allegations of `sexual harassment' levelled against a teacher will take a little longer to investigate and find out the truth.
The girl students of second semester of bachelor of tourism administration course had accused their teacher Ajai Kumar of indecent behaviour and acdemic laxity in their written complaint submitted to the V-C on April 8. It was on April 9 that the V-C had constituted a committee and made Prof Rakesh Chandra, dean, students welfare, LU, the convenor of the committee.
The committee was to give the report within a week. However, the committee which recorded the statements of 35 students and the teacher has asked the V-C for a little more time. The final report which was to be submitted by Wednesday afternoon will now be handed over to the V-C on April 27.
"We need little more time for deliberations," said Prof Chandra. The contents of the report have not been discussed by the committee so far. Though most of the members could have already signed the report by Tuesday itself. The matter being sensitive has kept committee from disclosing it.
Source Link: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/LU-teacher-seeks-more-time-/articleshow/5841952.cms
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