About IDIA
Increasing Diversity by Increasing Access to Legal Education (IDIA)
Increasing Diversity by Increasing Access to Legal Education (IDIA) started out as a student run movement in 2010 from West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences. Founded by Late Prof. (Dr.) Shamnad Basheer, the movement seeks to empower students from marginalized backgrounds through legal education and to create community leaders from within these communities. Prof. Basheer, in an interview with Chambers Diversity & Inclusion, explained the core idea of IDIA - “CNR Rao, a former scientific advisor to the Prime Minister of India once said: “our Einstein’s are in our villages.” At IDIA, we have adapted this sentiment to: “Our HLA Harts’ are in our villages.” Taking this to heart, we have decided to intensify our program and visit the remotest of Indian villages to sensitize and train the HLA Harts (a legendary legal philosopher) of tomorrow.”
IDIA sensitizes underprivileged students from across the country to law as a career option, trains them and provides scholarships to the students on gaining admission to law schools.
Overview
In 2018, the Chhattisgarh chapter of IDIA hit the road to reach out to students all over India for their perspectives on legal issues. After the resounding success of the 1st and 2nd edition of IDIA-Chhattisgarh National Essay Writing Competition, that saw the participation of students from universities and institutions from across India, the IDIA Chhattisgarh Chapter is pleased to organise the 3rd edition of the IDIA Chhattisgarh National Essay Competition this year. Participants are requested to come up with enthralling ideas that give everyone an opportunity to see the world through other's eyes.
The competition seeks to develop a culture where good writing is produced, shared, and appreciated. There is a need to push people’s limits a little harder, to be jarred into thinking, to be awakened, to be aware. The primary goal of the competition is to inculcate a habit of fostering constructive dialogue among individuals with varied personalities and ideas. The competition is working in the direction of overall development.
Hence, the IDIA Chhattisgarh team humbly urges all the prospective participants to come out and write. Write to give other people a chance to acknowledge the ideas which have been left unheard. Write to develop as a new individual.
About the IDIA Chhattisgarh Chapter
The accident of birth should not be permitted to dictate the future of these rare gems ! So let’s equalise the playing field for them. In our own little way!
– Mahatma Gandhi
IDIA not only enables access to legal education, it also fosters diversity at the leading law schools and enriches the very process of legal education. Keeping in mind the geographical diversity of India, IDIA has tried to spread its chapters in around 20 states including some remote areas as well. IDIA Chhattisgarh Chapter is operated from Hidayatullah National Law University, Nava Raipur, Chhattisgarh under the leadership of Shetty Neha Santosh (Team Leader).
Our Vision
IDIA's ultimate vision is to become redundant – having institutionalised diversity and inclusivity in the legal sector to such an extent that external intervention will no longer be necessary.
Our Mission
IDIA’s primary focus is to make legal education accessible to the underprivileged students and create community leaders out of them.
Our Cause
The project is run on the backbone of highly passionate student volunteers from various law schools in India, who travel across the length and breadth of the country to identify marginalised students with an aptitude for the study of law. IDIA then trains these selected students through a rigorous programme for the entrance examinations to the premier law schools, namely CLAT (Common Law Admission Test) and AILET (All India Law Entrance Test).
Currently, the IDIA's Chhattisgarh Chapter is operated by the student volunteers of Hidayatullah National Law University, Nava Raipur. A total of three activities are operating:
Sensitisation
Student volunteers of the Sensitisation team conduct sensitisation sessions for underprivileged students at various schools in different and the remotest parts of Chhattisgarh. Sensitisation sessions include firstly, an interactive session with students where they are being acquainted about choosing law as a career, about various law entrance exams, life at a law school and about the financial assistance provided to them. The second step is to conduct a selection test (INAT- IDIA National Aptitude Test) to select trainees and after the selection process is done, the training team takes the lead. Amidst this pandemic breakout, the team is trying to reach students via online mode and taking virtual sessions.
Training
The selected students of INAT undergo a rigorous training with the IDIA volunteers to crack the law entrance exams. Students of Hidayatullah National Law University, Nava Raipur give the training sessions on a regular basis. Some leading CLAT coaching institutes of Chhattisgarh provide free learning material for the trainees. Moreover, these training sessions are followed by mock tests and test analysis as well. Based on the test analysis, the students are provided with special problem-clearing sessions.
Amidst this pandemic, we have shifted our modus operandi to online mode. It entails online teaching sessions, reading material circulation, and sessional tests by law entrance toppers.
Fundraising
The Fundraising team plays a crucial role in assisting the activities of the chapter. Right from resource collection to arranging funds for the chapter, every activity is organised by this team, through – setting stalls in college fest, selling IDIA t-shirts and encouraging college students to donate, the team arranges its resources. Fundraising team also encourages the college students to donate books or any kind of financial assistance to the needy ones. IDIA Chhattisgarh successfully raised funds by organising its 1st and 2nd essay writing competition. One of the major objectives of this competition is to raise funds for the IDIA Charitable Trust and also channelize the creative energies of students to promote meaningful engagement with new and varied ideas.
Our Response in the Pandemic
Coronavirus has affected us all deeply. Sadly, IDIA has also been adversely impacted by it in many ways. It has caused disruptions in the lives of our Scholars, Trainees and members/volunteers.
This year, we had planned a novel approach to training in which we bring together our top Trainees to coach in one place for the law entrance examinations of 2020. We had to drop this initiative as it is not safe to travel or congregate in close quarters in large numbers. We are now looking to substitute it with online classes. The colleges are shutting down temporarily, forcing our Scholars and some of our Trainees to travel back to their homes. This is an added financial burden for the organisation. To cope up with this difficult time all the teams have shifted their modus operandi to virtual mode. The Sensitisation team has been conducting online sessions while the Training team has been regularly administering and monitoring the mocks virtually.
Scholarship
While the NLUs impart quality education, this comes with a price beyond the paying capacity of a majority of India. IDIA realizes that one of the major reasons for the lack representation from under-privileged and marginalized communities in law schools is the lack of financial support to fund legal education. Given the fees that NLUs charge at present, it is critical that we find financial aid to students, who have a good shot at a decent legal education and of improving the communities that they represent. In 2015, HNLU received its second IDIA scholar, who hailed from a family with limited means and thus could not afford to pay the fees. The Executive Council and the General Council approved the fee waiver proposal unanimously. Two IDIA scholars from batch 2019 became the first recipients of the fee waiver.
Scholar Testimonial
Hear what our IDIA Scholars on campus have to say!
As a trainee it was a great experience with IDIA. Their student volunteers taught us different subjects of law entrance tests. All were less experienced but were great, like other trainees my preparation was little different since IDIA also has its protocols on which it works first it approaches the students through sensitization, then it takes their common entrance test and then it selects the trainees who will be given coaching for CLAT. But in my case when only a month was left for CLAT two student volunteers came from IDIA and gave coaching to 4-5 students who were already preparing for CLAT under Jashpur administration so it was a great experience since we didn't have time so they gave coaching for a month. But it really helped me in cracking the CLAT and getting admission in a good law school.
IDIA helps its scholar right from the beginning from training to your final year in law school. It pays all academic fees of its scholars, helps them in their academics by allocating mentors who can clear your problems. It provides different types of training sessions like email writing, spoken English etc. Other than this it also provides internships.
Because of this initiative many underprivileged students are getting benefits since it's not possible for a student whose parents are earning low income and can pay such a high amount of fees. In short it can be said IDIA is making lawyers from everywhere in the society. It is doing a great job in helping the students to achieve their dreams.
Shubham Tirkey
Year II, Hidayatullah National Law University
Mission
Empowering the unprivileged and helping them in becoming community leaders through law as a career option.