Strengthening Partnerships | JSW Law Faculty Visit the NLS Campus | March-April 2024
April 17, 2024
During March-April 2024, we were delighted to host two Visiting Faculty from the Jigme Singhe Wangchuck (JSW) School of Law, Bhutan at the NLS campus – Ugyen Tshomo and Karma Lhazin. During their three-week stay, the faculty members attended several classes and faculty seminars and observed related discussions in the community. Their visit marks another step in strengthening the partnership between the National Law School and the JSW School of Law, Bhutan which includes collaborating on various research and teaching collaborations, and facilitating mentorship between the two universities. We spoke to them and asked them to share more about their experiences.
Ugyen Tshomo is alumnus of the JSW School of Law who is currently serving as a Junior Lecturer at the School.
Background: I come from eastern Bhutan but I have lived most of my life in Bumthang, a picturesque region that would remind many of Switzerland. From nurturing a childhood dream of becoming a lawyer to realizing it at JSW Law, my journey has been one of purpose and passion. On completing my undergraduate studies last year, I decided to join as a member of the legal academia for continuous learning and engagement in research, teaching, and scholarly activities. My areas of interest revolve around human rights law, international law, and administrative law.
On visiting NLS as part of the Exchange Programme: This exchange program to NLSIU, one of our beloved partners, has been a fulfilling experience. It would be no exaggeration to state that I was reliving my university days owing to the vibrant and stimulating academic environment at NLS. The classes on diverse legal issues and a variety of legal subjects, engaging seminars and discussions have broadened my perspectives, and interactions with the students and faculty have been a great source of learning and exchange of ideas.
Key takeaways: Academic exchanges are an opportunity to bring together diverse perspectives, experiences and expertise for a successful educational experience and intellectual growth. For someone like me who is yet to start my career as an academician, this kind of collaboration and exposure plays a vital role in expanding my knowledge base and acquiring pedagogical skills necessary to excel as a professional. Personally, I loved the classroom atmosphere here at NLSIU. The prospect of having student exchanges between the two law schools can serve as a great source of academic and cultural experience.
Exploring outside the NLS campus: I describe India as a country rich in culture. And this being my third visit to India, it has only deepened my fascination for its beautiful culture and traditions. I have explored Bangalore city, its bustling streets and unique culinary culture and I can now delightfully tick off an item from my bucket list which was to savor authentic South Indian food served on banana leaves. I deeply thank NLSIU for being a great host.
Karma Lhazin is an alumnus of the JSW School of Law (2022), and is currently Junior Lecturer and Research Centre Programme Coordinator at JSW School of Law since 2023.
Background: I am from Mongar, Bhutan, and was one of the 25 lucky members belonging to the first cohort of law students at JSW, the first and only law school in Bhutan. When I started as a law student, I was unsure about the legal career path I wanted to follow. For this reason, I pursued work experience during my internship and my clinical activities in multiple areas of law. During this process, I discovered that commercial law best aligned with my interests. Currently at JSW, I am a shadow teacher for Commercial Law and Business Law classes, where I’m getting the opportunity to further study and engage with the law on a more academic level.
On visiting NLS as part of the Exchange Programme: Our team from the JSW law school has been keen on implementing wide areas of potential activities to revitalize a successful partnership and collaboration with NLSIU. The Faculty exchange programme has been identified as one such program for the realization of objectives outlined in the MoU. My colleague Ugyen and I experienced the campus life at NLSIU as students, as observers, and as faculty. The class composition here is much bigger in size compared to our law school, and the sea of faces in the classrooms and outside felt like we were in colleges that we have only seen in movies. We have had the opportunity to interact with a few students who were curious about Bhutan and its culture, as well as our law school, while we also learnt from them and appreciated the diversity in this academic environment.
Key takeaways: We have not yet taken independent classes back at the JSW law school. However, the instructional practices, teaching techniques, and classroom management that I have observed in the classroom settings at NLS will surely contribute to our professional development. I enjoyed attending elective classes which are much more diverse and interdisciplinary in nature, catering to a broad range of interests and skills. It was a wonderful experience to be part of the faculty seminars which involved constant dialogue and discussion and this would be one of the activities that I would like to take up back at the law school in Bhutan.
Looking forward: NLSIU has achieved remarkable success and has earned recognition as a premier institution for legal education in India. The academic exchange and other activities to realise the objectives of the MoU represents a significant step in legal education and cooperation between the two institutions. I would suggest more student exchanges to gain exposure to different classroom settings, peer interaction, learning methods, pedagogies and cultures. I look forward to collaborative research projects, teaching initiatives, and the sharing of best practices between the institutions in the long run.
Exploring outside the NLS campus: This was my first visit to India, and after the end of the three weeks at NLSIU, which was a profoundly enriching experience, I go back home with insights and incentive for my growth, both professionally and personally. Thank you NLSIU for being a great host!
Other exchanges and visits
- The JSW-NLS-NUS Summer School – June 2024
In April 2023, NLSIU had announced a collaboration with the JSW Law School of Bhutan to launch their inaugural summer school program last year. This program was launched in partnership with the Faculty of Law at the National University of Singapore. The JSW School of Law is currently inviting applications for the Second Undergraduate Summer School Program for June 2024! The program will take place at JSW’s new green campus just outside of Paro, Bhutan. The courses will be taught intensively over a two-week period from June 17 – June 30, 2024. Students accepted to the program will have a choice of two out of three courses taught by legal academics from leading law schools in Asia.
Read more. - Faculty Exchange – April/May 2024
NLS faculty Dr. Atreyee Majumder is currently teaching a course on ‘Law, Religion, and Culture’ at JSW School of Law (remotely), and will later be visiting the law school in Paro, Bhutan in May to teach part of this course over 10 days. - Her Royal Highness Princess Dechan Wangchuck Visits NLSIU – August 2023
In August 2023, Her Royal Highness Princess Sonam Dechan Wangchuck and a delegation from the JSW School of Law had visited the NLS campus. During this visit, Her Royal Highness attended the 31st Annual Convocation of NLSIU as the Chief Guest, and also inaugurated the University’s redeveloped library.
Read more. - Strengthening Partnerships | JSW School of Law Team Visits NLSIU – May 2023
On May 16 & 17, NLSIU was delighted to host faculty and administrators of the Jigme Singye Wangchuck (JSW) School of Law, Bhutan. A seven member delegation from the JSW law school visited the NLSIU campus which met with various academic and administrative members and students at NLSIU.
Read more. - NLSIU Extends Partnership with Jigme Singye Wangchuck (JSW) School of Law, Bhutan – Feb 2023
In February 2023, NLSIU extended its partnership with the JSW School of Law which was first initiated in 2019. This partnership was established with an intent to facilitate knowledge exchange between the two universities. A team from NLSIU visited the JSW School of Law’s campus in Paro, Bhutan. This visit marked the beginning of the renewed partnership, to be followed by research and teaching collaborations.
Read more.