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200 - IDIA (Increasing Diversity by Increasing Access to Legal Education)
Project, India
CONTACT
IDIA Charitable Trust
Dr. Shamnad Basheer
India
+91 9818825148
OVERALL GOAL /MISSION
IDIA's overall goal is to empower marginalized communities through legal education. The IDIA project was initiated to
reach out to these marginalized and under-represented groups sensitize them to law as a viable career option and help
interested students acquire admission to these law schools. We hope that such access to legal education would go some
way towards empowering the marginalized and underprivileged students and the communities that they represent. IDIA
also attempts to drive policy in the area of “inclusive” legal education and “diversity” within law schools and the legal
profession.
THE SOLUTION THAT HAS BEEN DEVELOPED
SOLE training: Selected underprivileged scholars are trained on a regular basis for the CLAT exam by IDIA student
volunteers. The attempt is to foster a self-organised learning environment (SOLE).
Mentorship: IDIA scholars are allotted multiple mentors comprising at least one senior student from within the law
school, one from the profession, and one faculty member.
Leadership, Soft Skills and Resilience: IDIA’s overarching goal is to facilitate the evolution of community leaders from
marginalized sections of society. IDIA plans to impart strategically designed training programme to do this including
enhance soft skills (well-spoken English) and resilience of its scholars.
Diversity Friendly Eco System: Ever since its inception, IDIA’s policy wing has advocated for a more diversity friendly eco-
system, including challenging discriminatory policies of law schools in courts of law.
COUNTRY IN WHICH IT WAS DEVELOPED: India
COUNTRY/ COUNTRIES IN WHICH IT IS OPERATING: India
FACTS ABOUT SIZE AND SCOPE
1) Total number of students trained over the last five years - 199
2) Total number of scholars admitted into law schools in the last five years – 67