The Nigerian Law School Bar Final Examination Results released in 2018 by the Council of Legal Education indicated that 161 out of the 5,846 candidates, who sat for the exam bagged First Class degrees. Also, 4,633 (79.25 per cent) candidates were successful while 3.73 % had conditional pass and 16.51 failed. According to stakeholders in the legal profession, the result in 2018 was a clear departure from mass failure of the past. Notwithstanding evident improvement in the performances of Law School graduates, some stakeholders are still contending that nothing fundamental has changed, a position that informs this survey on whether there is the need to declare stage of emergency in legal education. In this interview with KEHINDE OSASONA, respondents differ in their views.
Yes, government should declare a state of emergency in legal education – Emmanuel Edu
You see, the issue of educational waywardness is not just only in the legal profession, it is evident in all spheres of our educational system even from the kindergarten up to tertiary institutions.
When the foundation is not proper, no matter what you build on it, you don’t expect it to stand, it would definitely collapse.
So, I think we need a state of emergency to be declared not just in the legal education, but also in all facets of our educational system in the country.
Like I said before, you lay the foundation and graduate from one step to the other until they get to the legal profession for instance, without that there is nothing you can do.
Have you ever wondered why some undergraduates could not make it to Law School? You know the law school has a standard. And even if they do by chance and unable to cut corners thereafter, you now begin to see bad result. So, I insist that the government should do the needful.
Can all the First Class Law students prove their mettle in the field? – Joequine O. Thompson
I have observed in recent times that at the Nigerian Law School, candidates had First class; about 100 or thereabouts. The rate has increased though, yet it calls for questioning. These First Class Law graduates in question, where are they? Can they match their paper qualifications with quality delivery?
I mean First class is not about the paper at all but more about the field work itself. For instance, when former DG of Law School was there, students were made to put in their very best.
In summary, I am afraid that the rate at which we now have First Class today is very alarming which now makes one to want to ask: Is something fishy? For instance, in the past not many people are in the legal profession but now things have changed so much that a lot of people are now doing the course in droves. So, the issue of whether or not a state of emergency should be declared would depend largely on performance, whether good or bad.
On a whole, it may interest you to know that the profession has had senior lawyers, top lecturers and a host of others who actually merited their current status.
Now that we have another man with high pedigree and wealth of experience at the helm of affairs at the NLS, it is expected that the institution stands the chance of being run better than it was before.
Re-engineering has taken place at Law School, we look forward to more First Class – Sunday Ojumu
Against the background that even recently we have been recording unprecedented First Class which has remained unmatched. So, to juxtapose it side by side with declaring a state of emergency is a question I think I cannot answer for now.
Of course, if you now want to say education as a whole, then, we can begin to start looking at it from that angle of general education, but not singling out the Nigerian Law School.
Don’t also forget that despite the not-too-encouraging outcome, few years back, all of a sudden now, we have started seeing First Class. What this mean is that within the spate of five years, they have carried out re-engineering as clamoured by stakeholders and now they have stepped it up with fantastic results. We are looking forward to seeing more of it.
There is no point declaring state of emergency in legal education – John Olafemi
I think if you observed recently, there was a meeting of stakeholders in the profession on the need to review the marking scheme.
The challenge has been that before, you are graded by your lowest grade or mark. For instance, if you have 3As and one E, the E would determine your final grading.
But for now, they are looking into it. It is not yet clear the standard with which they would use but it is certain that that lowest grade for mark would not apply anymore. So, hopefully from the next set of result that would be released now, it would be better.
In all, I think there are more important things to contend with in the country today than state of emergency. We do not need it, rather the appropriate body should sit and proffer solutions.
Law school system still effective, arguments not tenable – Sadiq Abbakar
The issue whether or not state of emergency should be declared in the Nigerian Law School for me is not tenable. The stuffs are there, the lecturers are so standard and the system is working. Why are we talking about that?
I am a product of the Nigerian Law School and I know how the system works. The system is so fantastic that it is so effective and virtually better than any education that you may think about in Nigeria.
Don’t also forget that legal stakeholders have also looked into the problems at Law School and they were able to effect some certain correction.
Performance outside the school sometimes does not justify law school grades – Anyebe Imadeni
My take on it quite frankly is that the state of emergency should be declared in all sectors of our educational system. The legal profession operates within the Nigerian society, and once you have a situation that is awkward in one sector, it would also reflect in another sector. I think that is where we are at the moment.
I am not so concerned about the grades that lawyers acquire in Law School. I am actually more concerned about the quality of products that come out of this institution.
Sometimes people can come out with very good grades, but their performance outside the school does not justify these grades. I think that is where we should be more concerned.
I also think that there is the need for us to assess our value system.
I’ ve never liked the grading system at Law School – Abel Nnok-Nduu
Well, on the subject matter, I think it depends on so many factors. My take here is that it should not be based on failure at Law School.
Even if such is to be declared, we should first ask ourselves where the problem is and where it is coming from. Is it from the system, the council or the fact that students are not really giving their best to learn any longer? These are the things to really look at before such action could be taken.
But my views have always been about the grading system at Law School. I have never liked it because it is such that you have to get all as to get First Class, unlike in the university where a mixture of AB can fetch you a First Class. That kind of arrangement does not always portray the best of any student. I think professional examination should be like: if you pass, you pass and should not be on the basis of First Class, Second Class and what have you.
