Law Development Centre post graduate and diploma students who sat for final exams last August, can expect their results in January.

LDC deputy director, Ms Percy Night Tuhaise told Daily Monitor last week that marking of the exams was nearing completion and the board of examiners will discuss the results early next month before management approves them.

"Our examiners are in the final stage of computing the results and we hope by December 17 they will be ready for approval by management," he said. Ms Tuhaise said she is optimistic that students will perform better this time round compared to previous years where low grades have persistently been registered. "We have much hopes in this year's lot and we pray that it doesn't disappoint us," she added. She said more students sat for the exams last academic year (2008/09) compared two previous years. 609 students sat for the Bar course exams while 810 sat Diploma in Law exams.

The Centre is currently facing public criticism over the shrinking academic standards partly blamed on the ill-equipped library, poor quality of students admitted for the Bar Course and absenteeism of lecturers. Of the 456 students who sat for the final examination in the 2007/08 academic year, only 64 passed, while over 114 students were dismissed after failing the examinations. LDC is the only institution offering a diploma in legal practice and one cannot practice as an advocate in the Uganda High Court without the qualification.