By IANS
New Delhi : If the government has its way, teachers in Indian law schools will be able to practise in courts and work as consultants too.
This is being proposed to retain talent in law schools where the remuneration is far less compared to what law experts get outside, resulting in an exodus.
A senior law ministry official said there was an immediate need to reconsider promotional schemes and avenues to promote meritorious faculty members on law campuses.
“Today legal education has to meet not only the requirements of the Bar Council but also trade, commerce and industry. So we need to have really talented law teachers who can train students to meet the challenges in the legal field globally,” said the official.
The government has taken serious note of the deteriorating standards of education in law campuses. It is generally felt by policymakers that there is an immediate need to remove the fetters on faculty pertaining to opportunities in legal practice, such as consultancy assignments and legal practice in courts.
“These reforms need to be introduced in a balanced, reasonable and regulated manner to ensure adequate incentives for law faculty without compromising on consistent academic quality,” another official suggested.
Even the National Knowledge Commission constituted by the prime minister has made similar suggestions.
“Why can’t we have flexibility to appoint those lawyers as faculty members who have an LLB degree, unlike an LLM PG degree, which is the qualification for being a law teacher,” suggested a commission member.
Commission chairman Sam Pitroda said there should be a new regulatory mechanism under the Independent Regulatory Authority for Higher Education (IRAHE) that could deal with all aspects of legal education.