The Bataan Peninsula State University benchmarked the school policies and organizational structure of Tarlac State University's School of Law in hopes of opening a College of Law.
The visit was held on Thursday afternoon (March 13) at the Main AVR, where TSU SOL Dean Dr. Jose I. Dela Rama Jr. discussed the authority and essence of the Legal Education Board in checking and monitoring the curriculum of all law schools in the country.
This benchmarking activity will help achieve and align a legal education institution's strategic goals by sharing best practices and techniques.
Dean Dela Rama introduced the requirements for opening a law school, including school facilities, deanship qualifications, faculty member expertise, offices, library, and other necessary documents as stated in the LEBMOS.
He also introduced the history of the TSU SOL, measures for implementing the quota grade system to produce Bar passers, and methods to improve the national passing rate.
The SOL dean emphasized the importance of panel interviews and entrance examinations for incoming first-years and the requirement of reading at least two cases 30 minutes before the interview to measure the student's skills and knowledge, grammar, comprehension, and reasoning skills.
"Sa umpisa pa lang, as first years sila, ang thinking natin always the best," Dean Dela Rama said.
The BPSU delegates also inquired about the rates of faculty members and the basic unit fee of students per semester.
Moreover, Dean Dela Rama shared the status of the SOL library during his first year at the university, which had only less than a hundred books. Through his efforts, some of his colleagues and friends donated law books from their personal collections.
Alongside the strict implementation of the retention policy and grading system, Dean Dela Rama also mentioned the need for student scholarships and rewards systems.
Atty. Carisa Balilia, faculty member and technical assistant of the SOL Dean's Office, presented the TSU SOL's best practices and academic policies. She also shared that their strict implementation of grades resulted in several passers in "Best Bar" 2020/2021 (16 passers); it continued with 13 passers in 2022, 22 passers in 2023, and 11 passers in 2024.
Atty. Balila recounted her story at the TSU SOL, from serving as the student council governor, studying as a Justice Jose Dela Rama Sr. scholar, and becoming a technical assistant to the SOL dean until eventually being absorbed as a faculty member of the law school.
With a forward-thinking mindset, she encouraged the BPSU delegates to produce "Bar-ready" graduates.
Leading the BPSU delegates are Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Lara Velasco Dela Cruz and OVPAA Chairperson Dr. Emmanuel Macaraeg, who visited the SOL library and moot court named after Dean Dela Rama's late father, Justice Jose Dela Rama Sr.
Dr. Dela Cruz thanked TSU and SOL for accommodating and entertaining their queries and the things they needed to prepare beforehand. She said she is hopeful that BPSU will open its own College of Law. (jlmm-OPA)
