Project CLAT 2020: Legal services authority launches crash course for 11 Kattunayaka students

KOZHIKODE: In a first, students from the Kattunayaka community in Wayanad are being provided with a special crash course to help them crack the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT). The one-month course began on Monday at the Model Residential School (MRS) in Kaniyambetta with 11 students, including six girls. Selected from the Noolpuzha MRS, the students are awaiting their Plus Two examination results.

Initiated by the Wayanad District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), with the support of the Integrated Tribal Development Programme (ITDP), the venture aims to prepare students from the tribal community for the national-level entrance test to get admission to premier law institutions.

"There is none in the legal fraternity from the Kattunayaka tribe," said DLSA secretary and Sub-Judge K Rajesh.

"This programme is an attempt to address that concern. With the registration fee for each applicant for the entrance examination coming to Rs 3,500, which is binding for tribes as well, the tribal development department has remitted the fee for all students."

The inaugural class was led by Jayashankar K I, an assistant professor with the Department of Law, Central University of Kerala. CLAT 2020 is scheduled to be held in the last week of July.

According to ITDP district project officer A C Cheriyan, the students for the residential programme were selected after orientation classes held at MRS, Noolpuzha and MRS, Kaniyambetta. The funding for the programme is borne by the tribal development department and, if students get admission to law schools, their entire expenses too will be taken care of.

"This is an innovative programme. No such special training has been given to Kattunayaka students for a national entrance test," said C Ismail, tribal development officer, Sulthan Bathery.

Kerala Legal Services Authority (KeLSA) executive chairman and High Court Judge C T Ravikumar inaugurated the programme through video-conferencing. KeLSA member secretary and District Judge Nisar Ahamad K T, DLSA chairman and District Sessions Judge A Haris were among those present.