Lubinda explains poor ZIALE results
QUESTIONABLE higher learning institutions offering law courses are a contributing factor to students’ poor performance at the Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education (ZIALE), says Justice Minister Given Lubinda.
Mr Lubinda said as much as he had been concerned with the poor pass rate at ZIALE, he has never proposed for a compromise on the quality of lawyers in the profession.
He said it was vital that the integrity of the profession was safeguarded and that the society was protected from ill qualified practitioners at the entry point because having a multitude of quacks who pretended to offer legal services would be an injustice to society.
The minister said this in Lusaka yesterday, at the second stakeholders’ consultative meeting to review the second draft of the student rules as contained in the Legal Practitioners Act, Chapter 30 of the Laws of Zambia.
Mr Lubinda, who is Kabwata Member of Parliament, expressed dismay that the event was attended by deans and lecturers from only three higher learning institutions, among them University of Zambia and University of Lusaka.
“The issues are not only at ZIALE, they certainly start at law schools, this was the reason I was hoping that more deans from various law schools in Zambia should have been here so that we can indulge in the discussion of where the challenges may be in the whole learning process,” he said.
He said proposals for the change of law student rules brought forward included the current rules having been overtaken by a new and subsequent legalisation such as the ZIALE Act, Chapter 49 of the Laws of Zambia while others viewed the rules as harsh.
Meanwhile, Law Association of Zambia president Eddie Mwitwa said the offering of law courses on a long distance basis was also a contributing factor to student poor performance.
The event was attended by Attorney General Likando Kalaluka, Solicitor General Abraham Mwansa, former Chief Justice and chairperson of the Board of Examiners of the Legal Practitioners Qualifying Examinations Mathews Ngulube and ZIALE director Ann Malata-Ononuju among others.