Legal Education- Some Thoughts

In the last two blogs, I have be iterating the problems that are being faced by Legal Education in Kerala. The same can be summarised as follows:
1. Lack of long term planning
2. Lack of motivation amongst a large majority of students
3. Improper utilisation of available resources
4. Absence of motivating factors for teachers
5. Lack of political will in government to change things.

Recently I had an occassion to interact with the eminent members of the committee appointed by Government of Kerala to study the legal education reform in Kerala. While discussing with them, I had a feeling that the discussions of committee was mostly moving towards an idea of abolishing the existing law colleges and come up with a set of premier law colleges in the model of National Law school.

I had been watching the growth of National Law Schools into prominance for quiet some time. Since I had been in the industry, I was also able to observe the performance of many National Law School products from close quarters and compare the same with students who pass out from other institutes. Keeping aside the euphoria with which many employers approach National Law school products, from the work parameters, I have felt that many other law school products have greater capabilities than National Law school products, but the National Law School products have a refinement which makes them instantly acceptable in the industry. Going deeper, the reasons for these students achieving refinement is mutifold and it has roots in the fact that most of the national law school prodigy come from well to do families, which themselves give a sort of refinement to these students. In addition the high level of motivation, the academic atmosphere prevailing in national law schools and the instant adaptablilty of National Law school prodigies to the office politics- all could be factors which make them successful. On the other hand, the students from other institutes lack the academic atmosphere and upbringing, which put them at least a year back of national law school products in competition to survive.

So the first and foremost problem to be addressed is to bring in a proper academic atmosphere in law colleges, and other institutes. Proper academic atmosphere is a very vague concept and is suseptible to interpretation. My idea of a "Proper" academic atmosphere are as follows:
1. Research facilites: a.Libraries that work 24X7, with little restriction to students to access books.
b. Computer facilities and internet access
c. Regular teachers, with research motivation and capabilites
d. Proper academic workload for students and ensuring a strict regime of classroom lectures there by taking away spare time from students in colleges.
e. Academic freedom enabling individual teachers to frame and conduct their courses, of course with the approval of college and university
2. Motivated Academics: High level of motivation amongst students and teachers, characterised by increased preparation for classes, increased class room participation in discussions, a free atmosphere where every student can freely express their ideas and feelings, proper career advancement map for teachers, and refresher courses and workshops for teachers in regular intervels, proper feed back mechanism for students to assess the teaching performance etc.

Once these two basic and simple things can be achieved, my personal feeling is that every law college can become much greater than national law schools. For this what is required is abundant political will to control the forces that deny these to the law colleges. But who will bell the cat!!!