PBS decision to extend LLB programme duration provokes students

Students who are currently enrolled in a two years Bachelor’s degree program i-e BA or BSc are protesting against the decision of Pakistan Bar Council to extend LLB degree duration from three to five years.

In January, Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) has revised its policies to enact that duration of an LLB programme should not be less than 5 years.

In a letter to the administrators of all law colleges and universities, PBC announced the decree of PBC Legal Education Rules 2015, and the PBC (Recognition of Universities) Rules 2015, about the affiliation of law institutes.

As per revised policy, no institute will admit aspirants for a 3 years LLB programme when the new rules were imposed. Moreover PBS announced that the students registered in three-year programmes will not be affected, however the three-year programme will be discontinued in three years.

Pakistan Bar Council claimed it has revised the policies by keeping in view the declining standard of law education and the increasing growth of law institutes.

The new rules also stated that the number of aspirants admitted to first year LL.B. must not more than 100. Only morning sessions will be allowed and the evening classes have also been disallowed under the revised policies.

Now, students who are enrolled in 2 years BA / BSc programme are protesting against this rule and marked this rule as an encroachment. A student Ahmed Nafees enrolled in 2nd year of BA told, “I want to become a lawyer and it is my dream but after the declaration of these new PBC rules it seems impossible for me to get LLB degree as I have already spent my 2 years in BA and hence I can’t become the student of five year degree programme again.”

Another student of Gordon College Rawalpindi, Adnan Raza told that there is only one government sector university, International Islamic University (IIUI) in federal capital in our region which was offering five years LLB degree programme when I passed my inter.

I tried to get admission in the varsity however cause of the restricted number of seats I could not succeeded. He moreover said that after failing to get admission in the university, I planned to do LLB after holding 2 years BA degree from the Gordon College but now the new revised policies by PBC will not allow me to achieve my goal.

While responding on this issue, Advocate of Pakistan Bar Council Shoaib Shaheen has told that “We want to raise the standards of education to produce quality law experts however, we are also deliberating the issues of those aspirants who are presently registered in 2 years BA and BSC program and it is expected that we introduce immunity scheme for all those registered candidates which permits them to take absolution of those subjects which they are already studied in their BA or BSc program.”