BENGALURU: Ranked the best law institute in the country for the third year in a row by the National Institutional Ranking Framework, the National Law School of India University Bengaluru (NLSIU) is all set to introduce various reforms.
Vice Chancellor Sudhir Krishnaswamy says the institute will give a big push to research, outreach and inclusivity, for the upcoming academic year, due to start in July. For starters, the institute is holding its first round of faculty recruitment in 11 years. Krishnaswamy is confident the strength of the new faculty would make a huge difference. Plans are afoot to make the institute more organised and centralised.
With the state government reportedly having cut funding, NLSIU is constrained for resources but plans to raise funds to change the research environment of the university. “We want to make the PhD programme robust and give each PhD student a fellowship throughout the three-year course. They will work part-time in the programme and will also publish (papers),” he said.
The fund crunch could also make it difficult for the institute to implement the state government’s order mandating a reservation for students from Karnataka, which would mean expanding student intake.
However, Krishnaswamy says the institute has become a hub for meritorious students from across socio-economic strata.
“The demographic that comes to NLS now is very different from what it was 10 years ago, when the number of students from Metro A and B towns was high. Today, the number of students from tier 2 and 3 towns is much higher. Not all come from posh city schools,” he said.
The institute is starting training in English and Kannada languages from the coming academic year. “We think that will have a good impact on academic outcomes for students who come from marginalised backgrounds. It will set a strong foundation in the first and second year,” Krishnaswamy said.