Presentation Transcript

1. South Africa’s first

   National Schools Moot Court Competition 2010/11 our rights | our duties | our constitution
2. Participating Organisations School of Law University of Venda
3. Introduction All Secondary Schools in South Africa (6000⁺) are invited to participate in the first National Schools Moot Court Competition The first Moot will be a pilot It is envisaged that the Competition will become an annual event and be incorporated into the school curriculum The language medium of this event will be English but the participants will be allowed to use any of the official languages in the final round
4. What is a Moot Competition? The participants play the role of lawyers who argue a fictitious case Participants will argue both sides of a case based on the Bill of Rights The written rounds take place during 2010 The final round will be heard in the Constitutional Court in 2011
5. Aims and objectives The purpose of the Schools Moot is to promote the Constitution, and to encourage talented learners to consider a career in the law The winners will receive financial assistance towards their first year to study law at any SA university
6. Process and time frames One team per school is invited to write essays in favour of both side of the case – submit by Sept 2010 These essays are read by panels of experts, and four teams in each province are invited to participate in the oral rounds the next year
7. Oral Rounds Day one: Pretoria and Johannesburg – 19 March 2011 All participants are given lectures on the Constitution and visit places of interest such as the Apartheid Museum Day two: Pretoria – 20 March The four teams from each province appear before a panel of judges to determine the provincial champions Day three: Johannesburg – 21 March (Human Rights Day) The top two provincial teams present their arguments [in the Constitutional Court]
8. Nature of the case The fictitious case for the argument deals with the case of a bully who has been expelled from a school The Competition is designed to be accessible to the average Grade 10 and 11 learner No prior legal knowledge is required - just the courage to stand up and act as if you are a lawyer!
9. Assistance with preparation Some background material (eg. the relevant Constitutional provisions) will be made available to participants Learners are encouraged to get assistance from their teachers, lawyers, magistrates, legal aid centres, law clinics, and from nearby law faculties There will also be a Competition Helpline
10. Contact details Name: Cherryl-Lee Botterill e-mail: Cherryl.botterill@gmail.com Tel: 082 780 4647 Website: www.up.ac.za/law
11. In short: The National Schools Moot Court Competition is probably the most comprehensive human rights education initiative in the country during the last decade It holds the promise of making a major contribution towards ensuring that the next generation sees the Constitution as their own, and of inspiring talented young learners to become lawyers
12. Pictures from a previous Tshwane Schools Moot
13. 2010/11 our rights | our duties | our constitution