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Journalism of Courage
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday said dramatic reform was necessary in the legal education system to make it sensitive to the needs of the marginalised sections.
Inaugurating a National Consultation for Second Generation Reforms in Legal Education here,Singh said,If we are to have a society where the common man gets speedy and affordable access to justice,if we are to have the rule of law in our country,if we are to have an economic environment where contracts are easily enforceable,we must ensure that our law teachers,practising advocates,corporate lawyers,legal advisors,judicial officers and legal facilitators are of a very high standard, he said.
This is possible only if there is dramatic reform and improvement in the scope and quality of the legal education system, he added.
Singh said,We need good law teachers to shape and nurture young legal minds. The sad reality is that when we look for experts to head new law schools and the new faculties,we have precious few to choose from. There is an obvious need to provide more uniform but calibrated and better salaries,accompanied by considerably improved terms of service for our teachers.
Today,some fortunate students who have the right contacts have the luxury of plenty in terms of options while several of their talented but less resourceful colleagues go abegging for placements. Earlier,Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily unveiled a vision statement that called for an inclusive philosophy to guide legal reforms. Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan and Attorney General Goolam E Vahanvati also spoke on the occasion.
