There are some points which are inaccurate and misleading.
The law degree of UniSZA was first offered in the 2006/2007 academic session. It is a four-year programme and thus, the first batch completed it at the end of the 2009/2010 academic session.
It is the youngest law faculty in Malaysia and accordingly has to undergo the accreditation and recognition processes for its law degree programme.
Such accreditation and recognition does not come automatically, but the faculty has to show and prove that the law degree offered by the faculty has achieved the standards required.
Accreditation from the Malaysian Qualifying Board (MQA) is a pre-requisite for recognition by the Legal Profession Qualifying Board (LPQB). The professional recognition is from LPQB and not the Bar Council per se, though the president of the Bar Council is a member of LPQB. The accreditation process by MQA can only be finalised upon completion of the first batch of graduates of the programme.
The rationale being to allow MQA and LPQB to properly and validly assess and evaluate the programme and the products of the programme, i.e. the students and graduates.
The collection of information and documents for the purpose of obtaining the accreditation and recognition by MQA and LPQB respectively have been made since 2006, when the programme was first initiated, whereby file courses of each academic session, its students’ profile and other information, since its inception in 2006 were compiled and coordinated.
The groundwork involved visits to other universities, internal evaluation of legal professionals, workshops and seminars, with the view to prepare for the accreditation and recognition exercises.
UniSZA obtained its accreditation for the law degree programme from MQA in July, 2010.
The faculty then proceeded to apply for recognition of the law degree programme by the professional body, LPQB.
The faculty has submitted all documentation required to LPQB and is currently waiting for the evaluation visit to be done.
The visit has to be planned and arranged and may involve more than 20 evaluators including senior members of the Bar, the judiciary, academicians and the Attorney- General’s Chambers, to evaluate the programme, the resources and the law degree students.
The tentative date for the evaluation is November 2012 when the law degree students are in for the 2012/2013 academic session.
Thus, the comment that the law degree programme is not recognised is somewhat inaccurate when the programme is still undergoing the recognition process.
The stringent process to obtain accreditation from MQA and recognition from LPQB would in turn benefit the students, as they can be sure that the programme has achieved the required standards.
In respect of career prospects, whilst we admit that currently our graduates cannot be advocates and solicitors until the programme is recognised by LPQB, the law degree from UniSZA has been recognised by the Public Service Department to be at par with other degrees.
Thus, it must be emphasised that a student who graduates with a law degree from UniSZA can obtain a profession similar to that of other degree graduates.
To date, UniSZA has graduates who work in financial institutions, higher academic institutions and corporate institutions, among others.
MOHD FUAD HUSAINI
DEAN, FACULTY OF LAW AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
UNIVERSITY SULTAN ZAINAL ABIDIN
SOURCE: http://www.thestar.com.my/story.aspx?file=%2f2012%2f7%2f26%2ffocus%2f11730145
SOURCE: http://www.thestar.com.my/story.aspx?file=%2f2012%2f7%2f26%2ffocus%2f11730145
OTHER SOURCES:
BAHASA MALAYSIA TRANSLATION (via Google Translate)
Program ijazah undang-undang masih menjalani proses pengiktirafan
JAWAPAN balas kepada surat "Mengapa kursus undang-undang UniSZA tidak diiktiraf oleh Peguam?" (The Star, 23 Julai).
Terdapat beberapa perkara yang tidak tepat dan mengelirukan.
Ijazah undang-undang UniSZA mula-mula ditawarkan pada sesi 2006/2007 akademik. Ia merupakan satu program empat tahun dan dengan itu, kumpulan pertama selesai pada penghujung sesi akademik 2009/2010.
Ia adalah program undang-undang fakulti termuda di Malaysia dan telah menjalani akreditasi dan pengiktirafan proses untuk program ijazah undang-undang.
Akreditasi dan pengiktirafan itu tidak datang secara automatik, tetapi fakulti telah menunjukkan dan membuktikan bahawa ijazah undang-undang yang ditawarkan oleh fakulti telah mencapai standard yang dikehendaki.
Akreditasi daripada Lembaga Kelayakan Malaysia (MQA) adalah satu pra-syarat untuk pengiktirafan oleh Profesion Undang-Undang Lembaga Kelayakan (LPQB). Pengiktirafan profesional daripada LPQB dan bukannya Majlis Peguam, walaupun presiden Majlis Peguam adalah ahli LPQB. Proses akreditasi oleh MQA hanya boleh dimuktamadkan apabila selesai kumpulan pertama graduan program ini.
Rasional adalah untuk membolehkan MQA dan LPQB dengan betul dan sah dan menilai program dan produk program ini, iaitu para pelajar dan graduan.
Pengumpulan maklumat dan dokumen bagi tujuan mendapatkan akreditasi dan pengiktirafan oleh MQA dan LPQB masing-masing telah dibuat sejak tahun 2006, apabila program telah dimulakan, di mana kursus fail setiap sesi akademik, profil pelajar dan maklumat lain, kerana penubuhannya pada tahun 2006 telah disusun dan diselaraskan.
Asas yang terlibat melawat ke universiti lain, penilaian dalaman profesional undang-undang, bengkel dan seminar, dengan tujuan untuk menyediakan akreditasi dan pengiktirafan latihan.
UniSZA diperolehi akreditasi untuk program ijazah undang-undang dari MQA pada bulan Julai, 2010.
Fakulti kemudiannya memohon untuk pengiktirafan program ijazah undang-undang oleh badan profesional, LPQB.
Fakulti ini telah mengemukakan semua dokumen yang diperlukan untuk LPQB dan sedang menunggu penilaian melawat dilakukan.
Lawatan itu telah dirancang dan disusun dan mungkin melibatkan lebih daripada 20 penilai termasuk ahli-ahli kanan Peguam, badan kehakiman, ahli akademik dan Jabatan Peguam Negara, untuk menilai program ini, sumber-sumber dan pelajar ijazah undang-undang.
Tarikh tentatif untuk penilaian adalah November 2012 apabila pelajar ijazah undang-undang berada dalam untuk sesi 2012/2013 akademik.
Oleh itu, komen bahawa program ijazah undang-undang tidak diiktiraf adalah agak tidak tepat apabila program ini masih menjalani proses pengiktirafan.
Proses yang ketat untuk mendapatkan akreditasi daripada MQA dan pengiktirafan daripada LPQB seterusnya akan memberi manfaat kepada pelajar, kerana mereka boleh memastikan bahawa program ini telah mencapai standard yang dikehendaki.
Bagi prospek kerjaya, sementara kita mengakui yang kini graduan kita tidak boleh menjadi peguam bela dan peguam cara sehingga program yang diiktiraf oleh LPQB, ijazah undang-undang dari UniSZA telah diiktiraf oleh Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam untuk menjadi setanding dengan ijazah yang lain.
Oleh itu, ia perlu ditekankan bahawa pelajar yang bergraduan dengan ijazah undang-undang dari UniSZA boleh mendapatkan profesion yang sama dengan graduan ijazah lain.
Sehingga kini, UniSZA mempunyai graduan yang bekerja di institusi kewangan, institusi akademik yang lebih tinggi dan institusi korporat, antara lain.
MOHD FUAD HUSAINI
DEKAN, FAKULTI UNDANG-UNDANG DAN HUBUNGAN ANTARABANGSA
UNIVERSITI SULTAN ZAINAL ABIDIN
You have to understand their position too. It's called bureacracy. There are many persons, private institutions, governmental departments involved in this matter. They have to go step by step. Making decision is not easy.
ReplyDeleteYou are so eager to become a lawyer, you should have known this better. It's akin to criminal procedures. The trial is done, now we wait for the judgment to be delivered. You don't simply send letters to the judge to expedite the judgment! You do the waiting, let the judge do the decision. Once the judgment is out, if you are not satisfied, then proceed with appeal, and the process goes on.
Here's the perspective: You super-seniors (1st batch) have waited for more than 4 years now. BUT your graduation ceremony had just ended late last year. You think you've done enough waiting???