LDC Outlines New Action Points Ahead of Today’s 47th Graduation

Just days after High Court judge Lydia Mugambe ruled against a group of LDC Students who were against repeating supplementary examinations, the management of the law school has convened and come up with a number of points to be followed in order to avoid controversies as it prepares for its 47th Graduation ceremony scheduled for today Friday.

Among them is that the nullified 4^th term examinations sat as a result of an interim order in the above case, are cancelled and the withheld results expunged from the official records of LDC.

Secondly, the applicants and “other students in their predicament” who failed some subjects at 1^st sitting and also failed subsequent supplementary examinations (retakes) are at liberty to apply to LDC to repeat the failed subjects in accordance with the applicable Rules for passing the Bar Course.

That as clearly indicated in the ruling, repeating a subject shall undertake over the course of an entire academic year.

“The current Academic Year 2019/20 is not available for students intending to repeat subjects as it commenced in September 2020 and is close to the end of 1st term”

Students who intend to repeat subjects may apply to join the Bar Course in Academic Year 2020/21 or other subsequent year.

For those applying, it has been agreed upon that applications to join the Bar Course repeating subject(s) shall be submitted through the normal application process when LDC advertises for applications.

But admission to the Bar Course shall be subject to the availability of space at LDC.

” As a result of the suspension of the LDC pre-entry exam in 2019 LDC had a big influx of over 2,700 applicants. LDC could not accommodate all of them in 2019/20 and has pre-admitted 1,117 students from backlog to the Academic Year 2020/21. In 2020 LDC expects over 1,200 fresh applications for from students completing the LL.B in 2020 from the various universoties accredited to teach law. ”

Under the rules for passing the Bar Course a student is expected to complete the course within 3 academic years inclusive of the year of enrolment.

Students who were admitted to the Bar Course in academic year 2017/18 should have completed the course by academic year 2019_20.

Those caught up by the 3 year rule are required, prior to admission, to apply with good cause to the Board of Examiners for extension of time within which to complete the Bar Course.

In her ruling, Mugambe pointed out that courts cannot interfere with the mandate of LDC or any other institution to the extent of deciding who has passed or who has failed and thereby declined to order for release of withheld results of the affected lawyers

The judge expressed worry on the rate at which students are using court as a short cut to graduate in case they face challenges at their institutions.