Is higher education necessary?
I have very big doubts about total necessity of higher education in general and, in particular, in Russia.
Higher education is devaluated now and it is something ordinary. To graduate the university now is the same thing as graduate school, I mean, like ordinary situation.
This situation is consequence of weakness of Russian authority after USSR disintegration, they didn’t want to develop education and because of it the universities went out to market and started to make dough. Because of looking for balance the universities started “to print” troops of specialists, especially lawyers and economists. That was a trend, but at the same time quality of education became awful.
I’m talking about learning and teaching in legal sphere because I know about it from the inside.
The proceeding of lawyer’s preparing in Russia is terrible.
The majority of teachers was reading their lectures on the textbook, which are written by theorists who haven’t practiced law ever.
The majority of lessons looked like meeting of the sect and students stupidly answered by the textbook.
Creative tasks? Participating in the trials? Going to the local legislature?
Do you think someone was teaching the students how to use law-finding software?
Has someone taught us how to analyze court decisions?
Were we playing trials or typical conflict situations?
No, we didn’t.
I wish I could called the coursework as creative, but I can’t.
That’s bullshit.
A young goofy needs discipline and strictness for understanding how the system works, how to survive in it and how to give to the client required result with its help.
And at the same time young goofy has to learn to think not only by his tongue, but also on paper, because a pen and piece of paper are more effective weapon than a sword and a gun since the novel “Count of Monte Cristo”.
Lawyer’s weapons are knowledge, skills of writing, speaking, listening.
Are students taught to those things?
Nope.
As a result, after his valedictorian a young lawyer has no practical knowledge and he is uncapable for any legal work which needs the special skills.
Only people who came to the profession by vocation can develop and achieve goals in a few years.
The reform of higher education (two-stage model) hasn’t brought results.
I conducted job interviews with young graduates and I can say that the situation hasn’t changed.
Therefore, we have a cult of uncontrolled executive branch, two ‘lawyers” behind the wheel of the country and total disrespect for justice.
