The School of Law at BRAC University: It`s Glorious Voyage from
Transcription
The School of Law at BRAC University: It`s Glorious Voyage from
International and Comparative Law Journal (ICLJ) INSTITUTIONAL INCEPTION The School of Law at BRAC University: It’s Glorious Voyage from 2004 Till Now Apon Zahir1 & Shahzeb Mahmood2 The BRAC University, established in the year 2001, has riveted its position as one of the top universities in Bangladesh. Through persistent deliverance of quality education and fastidiously articulated schemes to hone leadership skills in both academic and professional arena, the university has emerged as a premier in the field of advanced education. With over 3 schools, 4 Institutes and 7 departments; catering over thirty two academic programmes, and 33 extracurricular activity clubs intriguing and alluring students from all backdrop, the BRAC University’s undeterred commitment to accord the highest academic standards of education through exemplary teaching and mentoring of students, and nonpareil scholarship schemes, has contributed in creating some of the country's best minds. The author is a student of LL.B.(Hon’s) under University of London at the London College of Legal Studies (South). 2 The author is a student of LL.B.(Hon’s) under University of London at the London College of Legal Studies (South). He is also a former English Club Moderator at the Daily Star. 1 85 86 International and Comparative Law Journal (ICLJ) The School of Law at BRAC University was formally inaugurated in 2004, and is characterised as an opportune gateway through which students are prepared for careers in law, in administrative services, the judiciary, in the legal stratum and in the development sector. The faculties of the School of Law (SoL) are notable lawyers and academicians and are handpicked for their academic excellence, intellectual eminence, and individual expertise in the areas of child rights, criminal law, consumer laws, gender studies, business laws, economics, international laws and human rights, amongst others. All of these areas of legal study are shared with the students in their course work, workshops and lecture programs organised by the School. The University also frequently invites esteemed lawyers and jurists from outside their faculty to share their expertise and knowledge in order to provide a comprehensive practical understanding of how the complex legal fiefdom works in reality. The members of the faculty brings with them teachinglearning experiences from Universities in the United Kingdom, Australia, Russia, the United States of America, Canada and Bangladesh. BRACU’s four-year undergraduate program at the School of Law culminates into a Bachelor of Laws LL.B. (Hon's) degree for successful students. The School of Law is also distinguished in the fact that its students have access to 33 extracurricular activity clubs from which they may choose two to participate in. Among these clubs the Law Club and the Mooting Club are reserved only for students of law. International and Comparative Law Journal (ICLJ) Students participating in these clubs are constantly engaged in preparing for moot court competitions, debate competitions, and writing research papers and articles for the Law Club newsletter ‘Acumen’. They are also involved in planning lecture programs and participate in many social awareness raising activities. The Moot Court Society of BRACU operates with an aim to increase understand of law and reduce the scarcity of its knowledge, thereby producing enlightened, conscious and responsible citizens of the world. Having participated in over 19 Moot Court competitions since 2009, at both national and international arena, the mooters representing BRACU has brought laudable accomplishments to both its institution and its country. Some of its commendable victories include securing the Championship title at the prestigious ICRC Henry Dunant Memorial Moot Court Competitions 2014, the Championship title at LCLS Moot Court Competition 2013 and procuring both the Championship and Best Speaker title in Vertex Chambers Annual Moot Court Competition 2012. The BRACU Debate Club has also made its mark and has brought home many trophies, both at home and beyond. An unexampled aspect of the general curriculum of BRACU is the TARC (Training and Resource Center) Campus in Savar where all students of the institution must attend a residential semester for four months. Not only does TARC provide an unparalleled level of worldly exposure to BRAC students, thereby strengthening kinship among batch mates and allowing an invaluable opportunity to 87 88 International and Comparative Law Journal (ICLJ) socialise and connect, it also teaches special contextual courses such as the history of Bangladesh, ethics and morality. The idea behind TARC is to make students more self-sufficient and less reliant on parents in the future. According to Dr. Shahdeen Malik, Director and a Founding Member of the School of Law at BRAC University, the institution operates under a strict philosophy. Recognising BRAC’s background and the goals and commitments of BRAC University, the School of Law endeavours to impart legal education to seek legal solutions that respect social, cultural and aesthetic needs of the people. To meet this goal, it strives to impart to its students not only the tenets of the law, but also legal philosophy, rights-based issues and a broader awareness of the society they live in. Dr. Shahdeen Malik, in an exclusive interview, corroborated that, ‘The reason BRAC University is seen to be the epitome of success is due to its strict student admission policies. The University does not judge students through their educational prowess alone but also takes into consideration whether they have all the proper attributes, potentials and required competence that define a good lawyer.’ The admission process at the BRACU involves two scrupulous examinations, one of them being a logical reasoning test. This rigorous screening process ensures that quality prevails over International and Comparative Law Journal (ICLJ) quantity in the BRACU campus. This, the professors at the University exemplifies, is one of the contributing factor behind the ascendency of the students of BRACU over other universities in Bangladesh. Graduates from the School of Law are now pursuing careers as lawyers, judges, corporate legal officers, development workers and academics and has surpassingly excelled in their respective line of profession. Professor K. Shamsuddin Mahmood, Founding Member of the School of Law at BRAC University, was instrumental in designing the Curriculum of BRAC School of Law. BRAC is unique in the fact that it follows a Liberal Arts educational system. Students must complete stipulated and compulsory major credit courses along with some general subjects unrelated to law, such as political science and history, and have the option to select certain facultative subjects that specialise in specific aspects of the law. This has been structured to allow the students to maximise the ambit of their knowledge and employ them in furthering their academic and professional progression. Professor Mahmood, who is also the Head of Undergraduate Programme, further extrapolates that, ‘The reasoning for this broad range of choice is to allow students the freedom to pursue education in many other subjects and skill sets and as a result has a very versatile educational background’. 89 90 International and Comparative Law Journal (ICLJ) In merely a decade, the School of Law at BRAC University has accomplished in producing excellent lawyers and prominent legal populace. From securing the top position at the Bangladesh Judicial Service Commission examination to making it to the position of assistant judge, or even senior assistant judge and furthering academic and professional degrees by becoming Barristers of England and Wales and pursuing LLM degrees, the graduates of BRACU School of Law has shown their professional and academic genius at numerous occasions and has truly attracted the spotlight, in Bangladesh and abroad.