The UGC approved an amendment to the UGC (Minimum Standards of Instructions for the grant of the Master’s Degree through Formal Education) Regulations, 2003 at its meeting on 6 Septemberber. But discussion on “the guidelines for the introduction of the one-year LLM degree” was “deferred”, according to minutes of the UGC’s 6 September meeting.
Prof NR Madhava Menon, who was heading the expert committee that recommended the one-year LLM to the UGC and devised the guidelines for its implementation, said: “We have worked on the guidelines and given them. So the commission has both the scheme as well as the recommendations. Only the notification remains to go up on their website.
“After initially approving the recommendations they wanted the guidelines. We already gave it to them. In September they accepted and approved the guidelines. They only want to buy time by saying that they have not yet been discussed.”
Menon told Legally India that NLU Delhi vice chancellor (VC) Prof Ranbir Singh will convene a meeting at the law school on 6 November to further discuss the restructuring and implementation of the one-year LLM degree.
Menon’s expert committee’s recommendations for bringing down the duration of the two-year LLM degree were first accepted in June last year, as reported by The Telegraph at the time.
The shorter LLM course is expected to be implemented from next year, after the idea has been afloat for the last two years according to a report in the Tribune last month, with Menon telling the paper: “The undergraduate degree in law (LLB) is good enough for those who want to practice law. For those interested in serious study of law and teaching, we have proposed a one-year LLM degree instead of two-year degree. Only India, Bangladesh and Pakistan impart two-year LLM. Everywhere else, we have one-year masters in law. That is why our law graduates are going to the West for post-graduation.”
Last month Legally India reported that NLUO Cuttack’s three-year joint LLM and PhD degree program, which was started by the law school’s former VC Faizan Mustafa in 2011 hoping for implementation of the one-year LLM from 2013, had been scrapped. NLUO’s new VC Prof Chandra Krishnamurthy cited lack of specific approval as a hurdle in continuing the three-year course.
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Is that the only reason, ya we have harvard/ yale/ oxford all in our backyard.
lolz!
Is it that the Legal education is making LLM one year so that underqulified people from Foreign University are given opportunity to become Fcaulty Member is Law Schools. one year LLM in foreign country is DIPLOMA COURSE if i am not not misinformed
Please exercise caution before writing headlines with words such as 'claims' attributed to Prof. Menon. Prof Menon is not some young Arindam Chaudhuri -type character; At least give him some respect. There are many verbs to use such as 'says', 'speaks' etc. But have some courtesy for an old man who founded two successful institutions.
Claims is not meant to be a judgment in any way, but that it is 'buying time' seems like an opinion, or allegation, or a claim, probably reasonably held, although the UGC might disagree.
In any case, I repeat that like pretty much everyone else, we have the maximum respect possible for Professor Menon.
As an aside, could an argument be made that Professor Menon is perhaps India's most universally liked and respected lawyer? Any other contenders for that title?
Gurinderjit Singh Bhatia
LL.M.
Advocate, Patiala
lets make it 15 years then. lets up the sanctity levels.
sexy tia
Its to do with the fact that the useless Indian LLM degree at least ensured that people passing out from it had the security of a teaching job in India, which they were monopolising due to the two years requirement.
Now when FOREN-RETURNED will beat them to the punch here too, these poor guys will have even lesser than the already pathetic number of jobs they get after spending all that money on education.
On that note, maybe in the ultimate analysis though this would fetch Indian LLMs more jobs in the market because the quality of the degree after all is increasing with better teachers (all other things constant 'notionally'!)
With your resources, I am sure you will be able to throw some light on this issue. Hope you will take it up.
Dear Anonymous
Thank you so much for your comments. This is exactly what i was trying to mention in my comments.
I also fail to understand why such initiative is taken to make LLM Degree course one year. I also understand there is 1 year Post graduate course in Nuclear Law which is identified as DIPLOMA COURSE. Then if 2 YEARS LLM Degree is made 1year LLM Degree then what will be the differnce between DEGREE COURSE and DIPLOMA COURSE? Will the Expert Committee answer this to the citizens of India through PRESS CONFERENCE?
I understand from LI reporting that as everywhere Master in law our students are going to the West for post graduation.
May I ask the expert committee if such is the reason then why the students are going to West spending so much of money if scholarship is not granted? The reason is simple no one goes to West for saving the year of LLM at the cost of huge money , students goes to West only when they do not get admission or have not qualified in the entarnce examination here in our country.
Why we should follow other Countries , why not make other Country follow us.
If Legal education Masters Degree is made 1 year then that should be applied for all other subjects like Sciencs , Arts , Engineering.Will the Expert Committee address this to the citizens of India through PRESS CONFERENCE?
There must be a valid reason for having 2 years duration for LLM. How can it is squeezed down to 1 year? Is it that ceratin subjects and parameters will be deleted.
We dont want follow the West. Let West follow us. Let us be proud of our education system and not to disturb it and dilute it.
Thanks to you once again. More comments will be sent soon.
Kian : Please keep this discussion alive in your website.
Thanks for reading my comments. However, I do not see much of a sync. between your concerns/arguments with the info I am looking for.
I really do not see the point in debating why people go abroad for higher studies. There must be something good about foreign education that led M K Gandhi to travel all the way to England, is not it? Although you are free to suspect his discretion and the discretion of many other scholars/entrepreneurs/leaders from India who went abroad for higher studies because they were not very good students to qualify the entrance examinations in India.
Assuming you are a law graduate/student, would you suggest scrapping all those judgments from the Supreme Court and High Courts (including judgments on Constitutional Law) that not only referred to but in many cases relied on judgments/principles/rationales given by foreign courts. I am also curious how proud did the 'oh so unique' Indian in you felt having to read subjects like Tort Law and Competition Law where concepts as well as case laws are primarily from foreign jurisdictions.
I also do not agree with the argument that a degree from the same institute becomes less valuable when earned by a student who has paid the school fee from his/her pocket compared to the degree earned by a student who has secured a scholarship. A large number students from India are capable enough to secure scholarships from leading institutes abroad and do very well in their studies there, irrespective of how they manage the funding.
Nobody is saying that people who have completed their two year LL.M. degrees will become ineligible for teaching, post this move. Moreover, you should realize that the LL.M. degree in itself does not make you eligible to be appointed as an entry level assistant prof. position. One has to crack the UGC NET exam. all the same. Now, if you are so confident in the current state of things, then you will hopefully not have any issues accepting that UGC thinks, as far as teaching is concerned, even the 2 year LL.M. is not enough, for which yet another exam. i.e. NET is required. In a way, you will have enough opportunity to prove your mettle in the UGC NET exam. So what are you afraid of?
Overall, your sole concern seems to be how to limit competition, which, well, is a valid concern given limited number of jobs. But kindly do not give arguments like 'why follow the West' or 'let the West follow us'. There is no point being blindly proud of something, unless there are some parameters to demonstrate the system's superiority.
Well Wisher of NUJS, I've read your lame letter and I bet my Oxford ass that you're one of those shady faculty members at NUJS (or maybe an LLM student there).
It's a fact that a two year LLM deters many bright students
from pursuing the course in India when they can do it in one year abroad.
It's also a fact that the LLM / M Phil degrees at places like NUJS (and NLS / NALSAR) have become a dumping ground for pretty much anyone who fails to secure a job. In my time most of the LLM students were of pathetic quality. Most spoke english no better than you, argued as badly as you and ended up as lecturers in law in many of the NLUs, passing on their flawed understanding of contracts and corporations. Its these [...] who are (understandably) worried about a one -year LLM. Example 1 - there used to be a lady who taught [...] law at NLS briefly a few years ago. She just could not read out a line in English without struggling. Example 2 - And at NUJS theres a dude who taught for a while [...] law who scraped through the [...] law paper when he was an LL.B student, ironically enough at NUJS himself.
I support this one year LL.M heartily if for no other reason than to see you lousy bunch get the boot. The rank and file faculty at the NLUs is [...].
Dear Info please
You cannot challenge the Law that has been framed by AIU. AIU has been entrusted by Government of India to make equivalence of Foreign Degrees and has been working for long long time. Hon'ble Eminent Educationist and Hon'ble Emiritus has been involved for the assignment.
Please check with AIU and you get all the details.
Check the eligibility criteria for NET in UGC website
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