Relief for lawyers as Rwanda govt slashes study fees
By Rodrigue Rwirahira Rwanda Today
Posted Friday, February 14 2014 at 22:03
The reduction to Rwf1 million from Rwf2 million comes nearly five
years after the law establishing the Institute of Legal Practice and
Development, which is meant to provide legal professional education
and skills to law graduates.
The Rwanda government has reduced tuition fees for practicing lawyers
in order to facilitate bridging of the skills gap in the field.
The reduction to Rwf1 million from Rwf2 million comes nearly five
years after the law establishing the Institute of Legal Practice and
Development, which is meant to provide legal professional education
and skills to law graduates.
The law also made it an obligation for all lawyers, judges,
prosecutors and graduates to attend the particular skills course in a
bid to improve professionalism and standards in the legal practice.
Among the country's more than 1,000 credible lawyers, less than 400
have undertaken the professional course. However, lawyers had
petitioned the government to reduce the fees, saying many of them
could not afford association membership fee and tuition.
According to Moise Nkundabarashi, an independent lawyer in Kigali,
very few lawyers had managed to secure government subsidies to attend
practical courses at the institute and the tuition fee was relatively
expensive.
"There are still chances to have the fee reduced further," Mr
Nkundabarashi said, adding that the course facilitates enhancing
professionalism.
Three-year transition
He said many lawyers practising in Kigali found it hard to pursue the
course at the main campus in Nyanza, Southern Province, with 80 per
cent of the country's lawyers reportedly operating in the city.
The law gives a three-year transition period for practising lawyers
and permanent members of the Kigali Bar Association to have passed a
one-year programme as many will not be allowed to practise without a
certificate from the institute.
Nick Johnson, the rector at the institute, said the issue of the
course fee has been put in broad context to relate to regional
systems.
"Whether the government should subsidise private practising lawyers is
a matter of policy but the fee is within the range of other
institutions," he said.
"The Bachelor's degree will give you the knowledge but not the skills
to run a practice or become an effective advocate in courts or draft
legal documents."
http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/Rwanda/News/Relief-for-lawyers-as-Rwanda-govt-slashes-study-fees/-/1433218/2207388/-/wg3m3mz/-/index.html
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