One of the perennial problems faced by students undertaking external law exams such as those offered by the University of London, is gaining admittance to complete their practising certificate. Domestically, only the Hugh Wooding Law School (HWLS) offers such a programme, however, there are some hurdles that must be crossed.
External students, unlike their UWI counterparts, have to undergo an entrance examination based on five areas of law (criminal, tort, contract, land and equity) sandwiched into one exam. If that was not enough, two areas tested have been expanded exponentially.
The question of fairness of having these exams only for external students is another debate. However, with limited space being one of the underlying factors why students do not gain admission, it stands to reason that the few available spaces would be competitively contested. The average Trinbagonian may have to part with $5,000-plus to sit the exam.
The breakdown, apart from the hefty HWLS entrance fee, includes tuition fees paid to private schools (not GATE covered). Further, there is the additional cost of books as the exam is based on Commonwealth Caribbean law. UK law texts would have to be supplemented with Commonwealth textbooks.
At time of this writing, students who wrote this semester's entrance exam have not been given any indication whether they have passed or failed. Further, calls to HWLS enquiring the status of results have been met with silence or the receiver simply stating "I don't know" or throwing blame on their Jamaican counterparts.
The examination is set by the Norman Manley Law School, Jamaica; they have indicated that results were sent to HWLS since the month of August. Coupled with the fact that orientation has begun, one can theorise why external students have not been given any information.
Suggestively, if HWLS has be bemoaning there is limited space with last years' intake being about seven or eight, then the new accord with the University of Guyana (UG) seems unrealistic to say the least. The new accord states that 25 students from UG will be guaranteed space starting from 2016.
It stands to reason then, that based on admittance over the last few years, external students can safely say that all available spaces have now dried up. HWLS reluctance to provide results and the granting of more spaces to UG in 2016 without considering the hundreds that wrote the entrance exam, can only be seen as insensitive.
HWLS could have indicated to external students that there was no space, before monies were expended and therefore postpone the entrance exam or, since the negotiations with UG was completed about a week ago, they should have deferred the 25 admittance until 2017, thus giving a level playing field to those students who sat the exam earlier this year.
However, one can expect that HWLS will respond by stating letters of admission were sent out, but because of the rules of confidentiality they are unable to state how many external students were successful.
AM