Competition offers learners a head start at legal education
23 April 2021
Learners in Grades 10 and 11 are invited to enter the National Schools Moot Court Competition which gives them a unique opportunity to come to grips with some of the constitutional issues the country is currently facing.
The competition is geared towards developing learners’ research, writing and oral advocacy skills.
The competition is presented with the active participation of the law faculties of various universities, the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and the Department of Basic Education, the organised legal profession, the courts and the media.
All secondary schools in South Africa can enter a maximum of four teams per school. Each team will consist of two learners and they will be expected to write two short essays setting out the opposing sides of a hypothetical problem involving a constitutional issue.
Rowan Esau, School Enrichment Officer, said the national winners of every uneven numbered year can proceed to the international competition and 2021 is such a year. He recalled how the Western Cape produced South Africa’s first International Schools Moot Court Competition winners when Clara Macheke and Claire Rankin, formerly learners at Springfield Convent of the Holy Rosary in Wynberg and the 2015 national winners, outperformed the USA in the final at The Hague, Netherlands in 2016.
Esau said he is looking forward to strengthening the Schools Moot Court culture in the province.
An educators’ workshop is scheduled for 18 May 2021. More information about the competition and the submission dates for entries will be provided to schools shortly.
