University in first ever law tie-up in Botswana

STUDENTS IN Botswana will gain law degrees from Leeds Beckett University as part of a groundbreaking new partnership.

The university’s Leeds Law School is finalising a franchise agreement with Botswana’s Gaborone University College of Law and Professional Studies (GUC).

GUC will deliver a Leeds Beckett University law degree (LLB) to students in Botswana as part of the arrangement. The first cohort will start in January.

Dr Steve Wood, principal lecturer at Leeds Beckett University, who has been leading the project, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for law students in Botswana to gain a UK law degree and practice law in Botswana.”

The award is accepted both in the UK and by the Law Society of Botswana as a qualifying law degree. It will mean that students can work as lawyers in both the UK and Botswana, subject to them passing additional professional courses and training.

It will be the first time an LLB degree has been franchised in Botswana by a UK university, with the degree also offering other employment opportunities to students in Botswana.

Two delegates from GUC recently travelled to Leeds Beckett University for a week-long staff development trip.

Delegates learned about the student experience, observed lectures to analyse different teaching styles and toured university facilities, during the visit.

Upenyu Chiparo, academic director at the GUC, which was established in 2006, said: “The teaching approach here at Leeds Beckett University is more student-centred.

“We hope to implement that approach, starting with this law degree.

“In the workshops, we have realised that much of the emphasis is on student participation and students giving feedback on what they have learned on the topic under the guidance of the tutor.”