Professional training for China's judges entered a new stage
yesterday when the part-time National Judges College in Beijing
officially went full-time.
The Supreme
People's Court decided to make the college a full-time
professional institution.
Over the past 16 years, the institution helped more than 170,000
judges study for a law degree after work.
At
a Beijing forum on professional training for judges organized by
the Supreme People's Court, Xiao Yang -- the court's president --
said yesterday: "Training for judges is undergoing a shift from
training that aims to meet an urgent need to training that is
systematic and of a set standard, from training that focuses on
general training for judges to more professional training that
cultivates elite judges.
"This is a historic and strategic shift," added Xiao.
The part-time college for judges was established in 1985, at a time
when the nation's court system -- virtually defunct during the
"cultural revolution" (1966-1976) -- had just started developing
normally again. Most judges then were demobilized military men with
limited legal knowledge.
The situation has changed in recent years as more and more courts
require new judges to be law-school graduates. Starting next year,
anyone who wants to become a judge must pass a standard national
test for law professionals, including judges, prosecutors and
lawyers.
Professional training for judges has been given unprecedented
attention lately as part of the ongoing court reforms, particularly
with China's accession to the World Trade Organization. Judges face
the challenge of new types of cases and increasingly complex
cases.
Legal experts have said that judges with knowledge of foreign
languages and expertise in new technology will be in great demand
in China.
Cao Jianming, vice-president of the Supreme People's Court, said:
"There is an increasingly clear tendency that cases now involve
specific knowledge of various kinds, which has given rise to the
importance of professional training stressing the proficiency and
ability of judges."
According to Cao, who is also head of the National Judges College,
the college will put more effort next year into setting up a more
scientific curriculum, strengthening the contingent of teachers and
expanding training to cover more judges.
Xiao Yang yesterday said training should not involve merely
professional knowledge. He called for the nurturing of a modern
judicial concept that would stress neutrality, equality,
transparency, openness, efficiency and independence among
judges.
"Judges must win the trust of the public by respecting their
professional ethics and guarantee judicial authority," said
Xiao.
(China
Daily December 29, 2001)