BHUBANESWAR: The higher education department is planning to form a strategy for improving the quality of education in law colleges of the state in line with the national law universities (NLUs).
There will be an expert committee to look into the law education in the state university and make recommendations. “Government’s intention is to improve the legal education in the state colleges. The committee will do brainstorming on this. It is in its nascent stage,” said Asoka Kumar Das, vice chairperson of Odisha State Higher Education Council (OSHEC).
The law university in the state may recruit adjunct faculty/professors of practice programmes with eminent jurists. This topic was discussed by vice-chancellors and department officials at the Vice Chancellors’ Conclave organised by the OSHEC at Puri last month.
Many law colleges of the state want the state government to provide funds for development of their institution. State should look into this, said a senior law professor. He said Madhusudan Law University Cuttack has started a uniform law syllabus for all colleges affiliated to it.
“The university has asked the colleges to hold proper and regular classes, internal assessments and stop malpractice during the examinations. The colleges, many of them old institutions, need improvement from the infrastructure part. But these are not enough. More reforms are needed to change the fate of law education in the state,” said the professor.
The vice-chancellors have suggested several points for improving law education in Odisha. The government will take this advice and recommendations of the committee before taking any decisions, said the official sources.
The state government created Madhusudan Law University at Cuttack last year. It has 25 law colleges in the state. Besides, University Law College of Utkal University is there. Right now, the law university has six faculty members. Major challenge for the institution is to get teachers to improve quality in law education.
