Bar Council: Mandatory in-person examinations to ensure graduates’ competency

The Bar Council, on Sunday, stated that its recent policy change requiring physical attendance for law degree examinations was not intended to prevent students from entering the legal profession, but to ensure that graduates meet the required standards of competency.

The Council’s revision of the minimum standards for law degrees, which introduced a requirement for students to sit examinations in person, has raised concerns among law students. In response, senior officials of the Bar Council were summoned to appear before the Parliamentary Judiciary Committee on Sunday. 

Responding to questions from committee members, Bar Council’s Vice President Ibrahim Shameel explained that the changes were aimed at improving the quality of legal education provided by colleges. He noted that the Maldives Qualifications Authority (MQA) had raised serious concerns about academic misconduct, including plagiarism and the use of artificial intelligence (AI), during online examinations.

"We are not introducing these rules to burden students or obstruct entry into the profession. There are serious concerns, and as this profession was previously unregulated in the Maldives, we are taking various steps to maintain its integrity and the quality of both the students and the educational programs," Shameel said. He added that the introduction of such measures was long overdue.

Bar Council’s President Hussain Siraj noted that while the Maldives National University and the Islamic University of Maldives do not support online examinations, some private colleges continue to conduct them. He said that although most colleges recognized the need for the changes, they had requested additional time to implement them. Following consultations with universities, colleges, and other stakeholders, the Council decided to defer the mandatory in-person examination requirement until January 1, 2027.

Siraj also highlighted differences in examination performance, noting that the average pass rate for the Bar Exam ranges from 53 to 63 percent, while students who sit their degree examinations online tend to record lower success rates.

"This confirms that the quality of education is indeed being compromised," he stated. He also cited instances in which students sitting online examinations were found communicating with one another during the tests.

The Bar Council initially announced the mandatory in-person examination requirement in July, with implementation scheduled to begin in August. However, following a review of the decision, the Council has postponed its implementation until next year.