Yesterday I just sketched the facts relating to the place where I am teaching. I didnt leave any remedies, because I dont have any panacae for this state of affairs. I am aware as any one else who is genuinely interested in bettering the state of affairs that it won't be possible for any single person with a majic wand to change the state of affairs in a day. I am fully aware that it will take at least a full academic year to at least move things in the right direction. Within the short span of 6 months, I think that we were able to take at least some priliminary steps towards this goal.
As mentioned in my previous post, we have been blessed with the whole hearted co operation of the teachers in improving the situation. One of our teachers have successfully conducted at least 3 seminars which got great attention of the students. Next semester onwards a compulsory seminar class is proposed for all classes. We are also proposing to conduct an international Seminar in Banking Law, so that students can get a feel of what is evolving in these fields.
While trying to work out a mutually profitable solution, there is one aspect which is worth noting. One of my collegue who had been a teacher for last 14 years had commented that ever since Kerala Government started conducting entrance examination for admission to 3 year LLB course the quality of students deteriorated significantly! Common entrance examination was intended to find out students with the right attitude and aptitude so that they undergo the 3 or 5 year course with the right set of mind. I am also not ignoring the fact that the Common Entrance Test for 5 year LLB courses have helped to identify some students with right potential, the experience with 3 year LLB course is entirely different.
For the readers from other countries, India has three (or four or more) types of LLB courses. While there is an integrated BA LLB(Hons) in National Law Schools, other law colleges follow a 3 year LLB in 10+2+3+3 model and 5 year LLB in 10+2+5 model of higher education. Some universities even now call the law degree as BL (Bachelor of Law)while most others have renamed the degree as LLB(LLegum Baccilareum). Some IIT's have recently started MBA LLB and B Tech LLB, which as the name suggests integrates Master of Business Studies and Bachelor of Technology(Engineering Degree) with Law.
Now going back to the old story- what ails the 3 year course? To understand this we need to first understand the age factor of the students undergoing 3 year LLB course as compared to those undergoing 5 year course. While most of the students who had been undergoing 5 year LLB course are of the age group 17-21, the age of a student undergoing 3 year LLB course earlier used to vary from 21 to 61 or even greater! But now a days, you seldom find an aged person in the LLB course as compared to those good old days!
Now what is the problem? As I see it, we need to distinguish 3 year LLB course as a finishing course compared to 5 year LLB course as a professional course. Earlier many elder persons who were genuinely interested in pursuing Law used to joing LLB course. Now since many do not want to go throught the ignomity of writing an entrance examination along with their children, such persons have stopped coming to study law, even though they have a genuine interest in the subject. As a result the number of students appearing for entrance examination is very low and inorder to fill the available seats, it is said that even those who get 0 marks in entrance examination are given admission! Now how can you expect those 0 marks students to have the right aptitude?
When I joined teaching, I had in mind the standard of students who had interacted with me during my college days and professional days. During the past 6 months I have tried to make my students speak up.! To my astonishment I have found that many of the 3 year course students are unable to properly express their thoughts even in their mother tongue.A hand full of answer papers valued were so pathetic that even Samuel Johnson would wonder about the language!!
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