Wits university to discontinue undergrad law programme
After months of discussion and research, Wits university has decided to approve the plan to discontinue its current LLB programme.
The University of the Witwatersrand announced its decision to discontinue the current undergraduate LLB programme offered.
This decision came after the university approved the plan by the School of Law to introduce the LLB postgraduate programme to new students as of 2015.
Buhle Zuma, the communications officer at the university, said extensive discussions were held with lawyers and scholars in the law field and that had an impact on the decision to discontinue the programme.
“From 2015, all students with an interest in law will have to enrol in the postgraduate LLB programme; a course which may take an additional two years for those who have completed the BA Laws or BCom Law,” Zuma explained.
She further elaborated on the reasons behind this move, citing a response from the legal profession which highlighted the lack of preparedness offered in the current undergraduate programme.
Zuma also stressed that the low completion rate by students doing the course added to the decision to discontinue it.
“Our statistics point to the fact that only 30 percent of students enrolled in the School of Law complete the undergraduate degree in four years, while others take more years to complete it,” she said.
Finally, the fact that only 50 percent of students enrolled in the law programme actually end up entering the profession added to the decision, as the new programme will improve the percentage drastically.
Head of the Wits School of Law, Prof. Vinodh Jaichand, echoed Zuma’s sentiments by saying that the school consulted with people in the legal profession, and found that introducing the postgraduate programme would better equip students for the legal profession.
“Our discussions with the profession have identified the need for stronger research and writing skills. The postgraduate LLB will cater for this deficit,” he said.
Jaichand added that an ethics course would be added to the programme, which would ensure that future lawyers would make sound decisions when dealing with complex issues.
Finally, the proposed postgraduate LLB will ensure that at least one degree is obtained at the university level as students will only be admitted to the School of Law if they are in possession of a prior degree.
“Wits cannot be a bystander to the challenges faced by law graduates, the legal profession and society,” Jaichand said.
