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Arbitrary, ad hoc Law College decisions enrage students
Candidates who claim they were deprived of admission to the Law College due to a reduction in the intake this week vow to continue their protest campaigns until they are given a solution.
The General Secretary of the union that launched the protest, the Neethi Adyapanaya Surakeme Sishya Ekamuthuwa (Front for Safeguarding Legal Education), Daminda Hettiarachchi said students who protested against the move this week had decided to continue their campaign.
Only 177 students were admitted from the entrance examination, the lowest intake in more than 30 years.
Our campaign will continue: Daminda Hettiarachchi, Amila Hettiarachchi and Isuru Ranagala. Pix by Nilan Maligaspe
“There are a number of areas in this examination that officials of the Council of Legal Education should rectify to preserve the law profession in our country. The 2013 examination had several irregularities. The question paper had errors, and on top of that the results were kept from the students for several months,” Mr. Hettiarachchi said.
The student union commenced its protest campaign in front of the Aluthkade Courts Complex on Monday. More than 100 candidates engaged in a silent protest, dressed in white and covering their mouths with a black cloth, signifying that the irregularities within the institution were resulting in the muting of future lawyers.
“We won’t stop here because there is a clear indication that if the present situation continues more and more students are going to be victimised. We want that to be stopped. Also, unlike the last time, we are not asking the higher officials to increase student admissions but to provide a clear solution to this issue,” the union’s General Secretary said.
Last year, a complaint was lodged with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) concerning alleged illegality in the 2012 Law College entrance examination. Students who had been placed first and second were questioned by the CID regarding the matter.
It later emerged that the paper had been leaked by a lawyer who held law entrance examination classes, and 58 out of 60 students in his class had passed the examination.
Following this a decision was made to increase the student intake and proceed with the registration of students.
In a statement the then principal of the Law College, Dr. W. D. Rodrigo, stated that following discussions with the Commissioner-General of Examinations, the Council of Legal Education had decided to thus proceed with the registration of the students. A total of 551 students were admitted, and this temporarily settled the matter.
Dr. Rodrigo was sent on compulsory leave and asked to relinquish his position by December 31. He was subsequently appointed Legal Director of the Presidential Secretariat.
The union claimed this week that without any basis a decision had been taken to limit the age of the candidates to 30 years; prior to this there had been no age limit. An age limit of 35 years had been introduced some time ago but following a court case it had not been implemented.
“It (the 30-years age limit) has again been introduced and nobody understands why,” Mr. Hettiarachchi said.
“We can clearly see that those who have influence pass the examination, leaving students who are genuinely working hard miserable and in the dark. The relevant authorities should immediately look into this.”
Amila Hettiarachchi, 27, who obtained 55 marks at the examination claims that the marking is questionable. Amila quit her job as a teacher to continue higher studies in law. She said that the paper was harder than usual.
“I have been sitting for the entrance examination since 2006. Because the syllabus was changed most students found it hard to answer the largest part of the paper and some of them even stopped writing within the first hour,” she said.
The protesting students’ union’s assistant secretary, Piumi Wickremarachchi, said that a question in the English medium paper, which asked about the judiciary system during the Dutch era, differed from the equivalent question in the Sinhala medium paper.
“Though they seem alike the answers would be completely different. We are told that the marking scheme was made according the English medium question paper which is unfair to students who answered correctly to the other question,” she said.
The candidates also complained that the basic rights of the candidates were violated this year. “It is the common practice of the college to put up the results in the notice board. This year four papers containing the names of students who passed the examination were hung on the college gate. It was not even published on the official website from which students from the outstations check their results,” said Isuru Ranagala, 22, a candidate who obtained 64 marks.
A petition signed by more than 700 candidates was handed over by the union to the President of the Bar Association on Wednesday and forwarded to the Council of Legal Education.
Bar Association Secretary and member of the Council of Legal Education Sanjaya Gamage told the Sunday Times that the matter would be brought up next Tuesday (February 18) at the council meeting.
“These candidates protest that only 177 students were taken – this was not a decision made by one member but the whole council. The council will discuss it and take a decision about these allegations,” he added.
Last week former Supreme Court judge P.A. Ratnayake, PC resigned as principal of the Law College citing personal reasons. He said that since he was involved in work on Sri Lanka’s territorial claims to the UN under the Law of the Sea, He did not have the time to continue as principal.
Subsequently the former chairman of the Public Utilities Commission, Dr. Jayatissa de Costa, PC was named Principal of the college.
Dr Costa told the Sunday Times that he wished to improve educational standards at the college. “Like in any other educational institute and a body that trains professional candidates, there are some problems, especially in recent times. But the Law College under the new setup is under control. We have to again earn people’s respect and confidence,” he said.