The first batch of 100 students to attend the Law Practitioners Vocational Course, under the aegis of the Faculty of law and management of the University of Mauritius (UoM), participated yesterday in an induction session. The Minister of Tertiary Education, Science, Research and Technology, Dr Rajeshwar Jeetah, the Attorney General, Mr Yatindra Nath Varma, and the Vice-Chancellor of the UoM, Professor Harry C S Rughooputh, were present on that occasion.
In his address, the Minister of Tertiary Education, Science, Research and Technology stated that it was a historic moment for the University of Mauritius. He said that the conduct of such a course by the UoM not only fits into government’s vision for the tertiary sector but provides continuous professional development and encourages research in the field of law as well as contributes to the emergence of high-calibre graduates. Dr Jeetah also spoke of the high expectations he had of the students enrolled for the course, adding “as high-achieving graduates, you should be committed to maintain high standards in your education”.
For his part, the Attorney General deemed the event ‘a dream coming true’ in the modernisation of training for the legal profession. He recalled that the course is a practice-based one, incorporating both the academic and vocational perspective in the delivery of the programmes, as recommended by experts from the Nottingham Law School, the Université de Limoges and other stakeholders. The various modules focus on commercial and business law, criminal procedure, family law, conferencing, drafting of legal documents, ethics and opinion writing, among others. Various resources will be available to students including a courtroom for practice.
It is to be noted that in Mauritius, any person who wishes to be considered for appointment as a judge, magistrate or legal officer needs to satisfy the requirements as prescribed by the Council for Vocational Legal Education. Following the enactment of the Law Practitioners (Amendment) Act 2011 in September 2012, the Centre for Professional Legal Studies of the University of Mauritius has been ascribed the responsibility of conducting the approved professional training of future attorneys, barristers and notaries. Henceforth, prospective law practitioners, barristers, attorneys and notaries are now able to enrol on the Law Practitioners Vocational Course provided by the Centre. After completion of the Vocational Course, students will obtain a Certificate of Attendance of the University of Mauritius and be able to take part in the vocational examinations conducted by the Council for Vocational Legal Education in order to be qualified as a professional attorney, barrister or notary.
No comments:
Post a Comment