Changing times, changing needs

Updated on: Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Law is an area that is changing so fast that constant updating of one’s knowledge-base has become the order of the day. Constant efforts have to be put in by the students to update themselves. So is the case with faculty who want to update the syllabus and equip the students to take on newer challenges.

A committee headed by N.R. Madhava Menon, educationist, had submitted a report to State government in July this year. The report also dwelt on the changes in syllabus.

Lawwellman P., faculty of Government Law College, Kozhikode, says that though new subjects had been added to LLB courses in the State universities in the last few years, there is a need for addition of more subjects and updating the existing subjects.

Laws concerning banking loans are one such area where new and current laws need to be incorporated into the syllabus. Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) though already part of syllabus, needs some restructuring.

K.N. Chandrasekharan Pillai, legal educationist and member of Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) says that the IPR syllabus of Cusat was up-to-date.

Another area that should be covered is cyber laws. It is not taught in many of the State universities in Kerala. However, it is one of the subjects covered by the five-year LLB course offered by the National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS), Kochi.

Gayathri P.G., a ninth semester student of NUALS, says that the institute offers an updated syllabus as it follows the instructions of Bar Council of India (BCI) regarding syllabus.

Mr. Pillai says that more subjects like law and forensic science and law and economics (covering World Trade Organisation) could be included in the syllabus to make it more updated and competitive.

Also, the students should be familiar with the international laws. The syllabus should be such that the students get an understanding of laws at the global level, he says.

Ms. Gayathri stresses that an institute alone cannot offer much updating and competitiveness. “Teachers do give additional inputs in an institution like NUALS. They advise you to read more,” she points out.

But, efforts have to be put in by the students themselves. The seminar presentation, which is part of the course at NUALS helps the student to go much deeper on a particular topic. Moot court competitions, internally at the institute, offers a lot of opportunities. Mostly, one contestant has to present two sides of the same issue. "This is a very good learning experience," she says.

Students of NUALS undergo internship after every semester. (NUALS has five-year course with ten semesters). This one-month internship gives them much experience training and practicing under judges of Supreme Court and Kerala High Court and law firms.

K.R. Jubeesh, a second semester student of Government Law College, Kozhikode, says that now moot court is only held in the final semester in colleges affiliated to universities in the State. “It should be conducted much earlier part of the course. It would give some practical orientation to students,” he said.

Mr.Lawwellman said that laws concerning the media should also be incorporated into the syllabus.

Corporate and law firms visit NUALS for placement. Ms. Gayathri points out that internship, presentation of papers at national or international seminars will hold good for students attending such placements.

Changing times, changing needs

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