The Law Development Centre (LDC) attributes the high failure rates among Bar Course students to inadequately prepared graduates (“half-baked lawyers”) emerging from Ugandan universities. The LDC argues that the nine-month Bar Course program is insufficient to address the significant knowledge and skill gaps of these students.
The remarks were made by Annette Karungi, Head of the Bar Course at LDC, during her appearance before the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee. The LDC was invited to defend the 2024/25 ministerial policy statement.
“You will appreciate that we get these students from different universities. The grounding is extremely different, the curriculum at different universities is also different and this is a concern we have always raised. At the moment we admit students from 14 universities both within and outside the country. Many of them have knowledge gaps, so it’s not easy for us as an institution to use the nine months to ensure that we address the knowledge and skill gaps,” she said.
Karungi’s comments addressed questions raised by West Budama MP, Fox Odoi who expressed concern about the LDC’s omission of information regarding student performance.
Yusuf Mutembuli, the Committee’s Vice Chairperson questioned why only 274 students were graduating out of a class of over 1,900.
Karungi clarified explained that in the 2022/23 academic year, the LDC admitted 1,963 students, of these, 770 students passed outright. The Centre also administered supplementary exams, with results yet to be released.
Karungi expressed hope that the graduation numbers will increase upon the release of these results. However, based on current figures, the graduation list includes only 770 out of the 1,963 students.
