Law Development Center (LDC) pre-entry exams for this academic year hang in balance after Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Kahinda Otafiire admitted that Government has no single penny to organize them.
The Minister made the revelation yesterday while appearing before the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee to introduce the electoral reforms in which MPs tasked him to explain why the Law Council was proceeding with pre-entry exams yet both Government and Parliament had agreed to put an end to the exams they argue was curtailing dreams of many law students from qualifying as advocates.
Markson Oboth, Chairperson Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee tasked the Minister to explain why the pre-entry exams were going to be held this month.
“There is a lot of fatigue experienced by privates who wants to join LDC. We agreed that Law Council had scrapped pre-entry exams but we learnt it is on 20th this month,” Oboth said.
He added: “There is a lot of anxiety. We never provided any money, are the pre-entry still on or not? We need you to be clear on that matter, you are a general you know the suffering of people about 3000 lawyers; 9th will be deadline for receiving applications. Why is Law Council shy of stating obvious that pre entry is scrapped?”
The Minister said that in the last communication, he was told pre-entry was winding up and there was search for money to conduct exams this year.
“I will meet with Solicitor General and see how we go about it. I think we should do away with pre-entry, these students are paying for themselves, if they fail, they will repeat. These young Ugandans should be given opportunity to explore their potential. They should take collective measures,” Otafiire said.
Jovah Kamateeka, the Mitooma Woman MP tasked the Minister to explain if all universities in the country are issuing a uniform exam that would warrant scrapping off of pre-entry exams.
Kahinda replied, “We are winding up. The problem is we don’t have money to do exams and I don’t have money to pay certain categories of workers. I don’t know if pre entry is my priority. I think as a conclusion pre-entry has been wound up, that one is administrative. First of all, I don’t have the money. We shall manage the entrance procedures with LDC authorities.”
