At present scenario, legal education in India is at its dying stage. Law students are confused about pedagogy. They are not getting properly what is to be studied and how is to  be studied. In law schools , an alien kind of pedagogy is being followed which is very fruitful for aliens only.  Law schools are more concerned about format rather than content. They start teaching about writing of research articles and debates. Although students are not aware about the very basic concepts at all. Due to lack of basic knowledge young professionals have to struggle a lot in court and at various professional platforms.

Teachers and law schools are focusing on style of teaching rather than content of teaching. They are happy if the format is attractive and fancy whether the content is worthless. This kind of pedagogy is completely wrong. First of all, a law student has to understand the very basic theoretical concepts and application of law. Thereafter he should go for philosophical debates and research. But as of now vice versa pedagogy is being followed where students are forced to write research articles and participate in debates of what kind of law ought to be,  without making them understand the basics of law.

Basic theoretical and practical knowledge is very much important for a legal professional. Superficial knowledge can not take a legal professional upto decided destination. Being a law student, one needs to understand the theoretical basics and application of the same. Then only they must move towards philosophical debates and research.

Due to this kind of pedagogy, students have to cram and learn everything which is not very correct because “Law is all about logic”. And as of now, logic is missing from legal education . Since students do not understand the logics and philosophy of law they are being quasi- lawyers who know only to draft the documents and filing the suits and they do not know to fight a case and to provide the remedy to the litigant. Just because of their superficial knowledge, they remain a typewriter or stenographer who knows only to draft a document and who does not know how to apply the law to provide the relief to the litigant.

Finally, I would conclude that ‘ A law student must focus on content rather than format and go through very basic theoretical and practical concepts before going to research and debates.’

 

 

By- ALANKAR UPADHYAY

(B.Sc., LL.B.,LL.M.,NET,

Educationist and Researcher)