Latest update March 29th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jun 20, 2014 News
In light of the fact that a local law school could help to significantly bolster Guyana’s economy, a call has been made by students of the University of Guyana (UG) law programme for Government to direct keen attention to
such a development.
And not only would the establishment of a law school effectively put to rest concerns faced by students with regards to their acceptance to institutions like the Hugh Wooding Law School to complete their legal studies, but it would encourage entry from foreign students as well.
Speaking from an international student perspective, Glenfield Dennison, a Belizean, who is currently in his second year of the law programme at the University of Guyana, the obvious financial benefits can be easily doubled with the establishment of a law school. He disclosed that each international student undertaking the local law programme spends a minimum of $2 million per year which translates to $6 million at the end of the three-year programme.
“That doesn’t account for a law school. A law school would see that figure at the minimum doubled because of the increase you’d pay as the tuition cost…so that to me is one of the benefits that would come besides the educational benefit of having students from different parts of the Region,” Dennison posited during an interview with this publication.
Supporting the theory of a law school here, too, was local final year student, Sherod Duncan, who insisted that “one of the things that we have to contemplate is whether a local law school solves our problem going forward, because it has been known for some time that UWI (University of the West Indies) cannot effectively educate all of the persons who want to study law”.
The top 25 students of the local law programme have over the years been able to benefit from automatic placement at UWI based on an agreement between UWI, UG, and the Council for Legal Education. But since those eligible for automatic promotion usually amount to just about half of the graduated class, a request was last year made for the number of students to increase to 40 and 10 places be made available to 10 international students.
However, the placement offering had come under threat in recent months but was only resolved a few days ago, following Government’s intervention.
Currently there are three law schools catering to the Caribbean – UWI, the Norman Manley and Eugene Dupuch Law Schools in Jamaica and Bahamas respectively.
Moreover, Duncan is convinced that serious consideration should be given to whether a fourth one in Guyana would be feasible.
“This is one of the things that need to be on the table in a comprehensive and meaningful way, not as a fleeting thought,” Duncan intimated during an interview with this publication yesterday.
In sharing his concern that over the years a number of students have not been able to complete their legal education because they were not accepted at a law school, Duncan highlighted the need for a task force to be put in place to examine the matter comprehensively.
He pointed out that consideration must be given to the fact that the legal profession, since it is in a wide market, can address a range of issues ranging from fashion to the environment. “There is a market for law not only on Croal Street…” said Duncan who went onto stress “we aren’t asking to study law cheaper than it is being offered in Trinidad, for instance. We just want an opportunity to study law and finish our legal education.”
Both Duncan and Dennison are members of the Moot Court Guyana Mooting Committee of UG’s Department of Law, which is putting measures in place to have a wide range of concerns surrounding legal education in the Caribbean addressed.
Moreover, Moot Court Guyana in collaboration with the University of Guyana Students’ Society (UGSS) and the University of Guyana Law Society (UGLS) has plans to convene a symposium entitled ‘The future of legal education in the Caribbean Community’.
According to Co-Chair of Moot Court Guyana, Carmalita Jamieson, the planned symposium is in fact one that is very timely, as it came out of the situation regarding the uncertainties that had shrouded the automatic admittance of the top 25 law students to the Hugh Wooding Law School.
“We saw in the media, but we have not been officially informed, that the 2014 batch (of students) who were initially not sure whether they would be accepted to the Law School, have now been given clearance. However, as the situation stands the 2015, 2016 and future batches are still uncertain of their position as to whether they will be able to go to law school or not,” said Jamieson yesterday.
As such, she noted that the symposium is designed to bring together key stakeholders including: Chairperson of the Council of Legal Education, Ms Jacqueline Samuels-Brown; Attorney General, Anil Nandlall; Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag), Justice Carl Singh; President of the Bar Association, Ronald Burch-Smith and Senior Lecture within the Department of Law, Christopher Ram.
The forum slated for Tuesday at 16:00 hours will be convened in the University of Guyana’s Education Lecture Theatre, and according to Jamieson, while members of the public are invited to attend; law students are the primary target.
“Proposals can be put forward, questions can be asked and questions can be answered; at the end of this we are hoping that some form of solution can be tabled or some form of solution can be arrived at, whether it begins with short, medium or long term, we are looking to have comprehensive solutions regarding the future of legal education for law students,” she asserted.
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
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