Abstract
This Paper aims at exploring the weight accorded to the teaching of human rights in law schools generally and in particular it will attempt to examine the status of human rights in clinical legal education (herein after referred to as “CLE”) in law schools in Africa, with a view to recommending more emphasis in the teaching of human rights and the establishment of specialist human rights clinics as a viable growth initiative for CLE, especially in Africa. Concerns over similar issues were seriously debated during the last conference on Educating Lawyers For Transnational Challenges held from 26–29 May 2004 in Hawaii, USA, (herein after referred to as the “Hawaii Conference”) just as much as they formed a serious bone of contention during the design and implementation of the new LL.B curriculum for South African Universities especially in 1997 and 1998. Because of the intricate issues involved, the emerging concerns are likely to continue. The purpose of raising the concerns here is to increase awareness, provoke more discussion and encourage empirical research on a subject matter considered to be of absolute importance for legal education generally and in Africa in particular.
Highlights
International Conference on Clinical Legal Education and Development at the University of Fort Hare in held on the 14 and 15 July 2004 at the University of
Conference participants for the comments received (BIICL) in London, UK and Research Project which made the revision of the Paper possible
Multiplicity of complex socio-economic, political and legal issues. This discussion has to be limited and will focus on the teaching aspect of human rights courses in universities especially in Africa and the need to establish specialist human rights clinics as a viable mechanism for advancing clinical legal education programs to address its twin major objectives, namely: to serve clients with problems in the particular area of human rights, while at the same time providing law students with the peculiar opportunity to focus their legal education in developing specialised skills for the practice of human rights
Summary
This Paper aims at exploring the weight accorded to the teaching of human rights in law schools generally and in particular it will attempt to examine the status of human rights in clinical legal education ( after referred to as “CLE”) in law schools in Africa, with a view to recommending more emphasis in the teaching of human rights and the establishment of specialist human rights clinics as a viable growth initiative for CLE, especially in Africa. Multiplicity of complex socio-economic, political and legal issues Of necessity, this discussion has to be limited and will focus on the teaching aspect of human rights courses in universities especially in Africa and the need to establish specialist human rights clinics as a viable mechanism for advancing clinical legal education programs to address its twin major objectives, namely: to serve clients with problems in the particular area of human rights, while at the same time providing law students with the peculiar opportunity to focus their legal education in developing specialised skills for the practice of human rights. Before addressing some of the above concerns, it may be prudent to set the appropriate context by explaining the background for the arguments set out in the subsequent paragraphs
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