INFUSING LAW IN YOUNG MINDS-PANACEA FOR CURRENT TRAVAILS?
Authors :Dr. Kavitha Balakrishnan1
Abstract
Human being is a social creature, so his activities are inexplicably intertwined with the fine fabric of collective conscience. Exact knowledge about law makes a person aware of his rights and duties towards the society. If the children are educated about the law at elementary level, the chance that they become good law-abiding citizens are very high and the chance of them committing crime are very low. Certain crimes are such that the act itself is a crime, people are not committing those crimes not because they know the law but due to the reason that it is morally wrong to do it. Whereas certain other crimes are not like that, those acts become crime due to the laws made to that effect and are usually called as statutory crimes. These statutory crimes must be brought to the knowledge of students so that they become aware of it and does not commit any such crimes or else they mind end up in committing such crime due to lack of knowledge about such crimes and since general rule of ignorance of law is not excusable is present, they will not be able to take the defence of lack of knowledge about the law. In Zonal Conference of Bar Council held in 2016 at Bangalore, a suggestion was made to create legal awareness from elementary school onwards. But there was no follow up in that matter. This research article delves into need of legal education at elementary school level and also the challenges met with during this noble cause.
Key words: Legal education, Legal literacy, elementary education, constitutional rights
