THE Chief Justice of Lahore High Court has sent 22 judges of the district judiciary to the Punjab Judicial Academy for further training in a bid to improve standards. I wonder whether training alone without assessment do miracles.

The problem lies with our selection and recruitment system. The main thrust remains on filling posts instead of selecting the most competent candidates. Therefore, it should not surprise anybody to learn that only six out of the 112 newly recruited additional sessions judges could qualify their departmental exam held in July-2016.

Corruption and incompetence are two faces of the same coin. There is a dire need to improve the standard of legal knowledge of the judges. When the bar council has withdrawn itself from the assessment and training of new entrants in the profession, it becomes imperative for the higher judiciary to set some level of assessment and standardisation.

Most judges in the district judiciary discontinue their studies once they are appointed. There is a need to reconnect them with law books and other disciplines. There are many judicial officers who are geniuses and they should be acknowledged and recognised, but there are others need a reality check through assessment tests.

Merely teaching in the classroom at the academy has failed to yield the desired results. The participants keep fiddling with their smartphones. Instead of spending public money on training, boarding and lodging, the candidates should be provided the syllabus and administered a test. Thereafter, the best selected.

I suggest that the Punjab Judicial Academy (PJA) introduce a LAT (Law Assessment Test) to assess the abilities of candidates aspiring to become judges and lawyers through MCQs and/or subjective questions in civil law, criminal law, English and computer literacy. The test will help identify shortcomings and resolve issues pertaining to legal education and training.

Mir Munsif

Faisalabad

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2016