chennai setting a trend that could soon be followed the central board of secondary education has introduced a legal studies elective for senior secondary classes it will be offered in class 11 from the 201314 academic year as a pilot course on a firstcomefirstserved basis in 20 schools students can choose it as an elective subject with any combination of three other electives and a language its a welcome move as it will serve as an introductory course for aspiring lawyers said j ajeeth prasath jain senior principal of bhavans rajaji vidyashram senior secondary school there are courses to give a student a sample of engineering medicine financial management and other careers but those keen on pursuing law could only opt for special english in classes 11 and 12 courses have been introduced for railway ticketing nursing and other fields in senior secondary classes we have been expecting an elective for law for a long time now because we come across students who are not just interested in indian law but also international law jain added the cbse has said the idea of law is to create a safer society in a letter to principals sadhana parashar professor and director of academic research training and innovation cbse said as citizens many of us have faced or may face various situations requiring legal assistance in most instances there are many rights and defences that can help us in becoming assertive if we know what and how to do it within the time limits provided by the law however most people lose simply because of lack of information and awareness in many instances it is merely a matter of taking right action in a specific and timely mannertamil nadu dr ambedkar law university vicchancellor v vijayakumar agrees over time law has become looked at only as a professional course but every person has to know the law in court ignorance of the law excuses no one he added that it would help citizens know their obligations rights and duties it will help individuals understand the system and to respect each others rights in a civil society individuals will know to what extent they can fight and what their rights are vijayakumar added he said it will improve the quality of legal education other academics said students from other boards of education without the chance to have an introduction to legal studies in school will not be at a disadvantage while pursuing law in college as all institutions start from scratch anyway the cbse elective deals with the theory and nature of political institutions nature and sources of law historical evolution of the countrys legal system civil and criminal courts and processes and the family justice system