ISLAMABAD: A proposal is under consideration by Higher Education Commission (HEC) and Pakistan Bar Council to reduce the duration of LLB programme from five years to four years.

During a meeting held here at the HEC on Thursday, with its Executive Director Prof Dr Ziaul Qayyum in the chair, it was in principle decided the programme would be reduced to four years.

Sources said that minutes of the meeting would be shared with all stakeholders including bar councils and head of universities and colleges, which offers law education, to get their input and if all agrees, then a notification would be issued in this regard. The meeting has also decided that if the proposal is accepted by all stakeholders, the HEC will help develop new curriculum for four year programme of LLB.

“The HEC convened a crucial stakeholders’ meeting to deliberate on the proposal of reducing the duration of the LLB programme from five years to four years. The meeting was chaired by Executive Director HEC Prof. Dr. Zia Ul-Qayyum. It brought together representatives from 44 LLB-offering universities, Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), and the Directorate of Legal Education (DLE), among other key stakeholder,’ says a press release issued by HEC.

It said that the initiative aligns with HEC’s mandate to periodically review and update academic curricula to meet emerging trends, market demands, and international standards.

The discussion centered on optimising the LLB curriculum to ensure relevance, competitiveness, and alignment with global benchmarks.

Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) member Hassan Raza Pasha and Director, Directorate of Legal Education, Barrister Usama Malik highlighted the importance to revamp the scheme of LLB programme as per modern lines in terms of duration and courses to meet the existing requirement of judicial system in Pakistan.

They highlighted the concerns emerged regarding the programme’s duration and structure, especially in comparison to short duration international Bachelor of Law programmes offered by UK-based universities which is diverting ample foreign exchange and causing challenge for the local law graduates to spend two more years in completing programmes.

“Input was received from all university representatives, who unanimously agreed (with few exceptions) that the existing five-year LLB programme is much overloaded, which may be adjusted in four years of study with more focus on practical training component.

Discussions also revolved around implementation of semester system for law programmes in affiliated colleges, faculty training, licensing mechanism, quality of the programme and further education pathways for four-year proposed LLB programme,” read the press release.

It said that higher education institutions, Pakistan Bar Council and others appreciated the HEC and its academic division for the initiative to take all stakeholders onboard prior to making this crucial decision, the recommendations of which will pave the way for a more dynamic and competitive legal education framework, equipping graduates with the skills and knowledge required to excel in the legal profession.

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2025