Roundtable organised by World Journalism Education Council-IIMC-UNESCO
New Delhi : “Media educational institutes should now develop curriculum that incorporates all aspects of new media. Today multimedia, graphics, animation, printing, and packaging are transforming media content.” Eric Falt, Director of UNESCO’s New Delhi Office, shared these views at the opening session of a two-day Roundtable on ‘Journalism Education in India: Issues and Challenges,’ hosted by the World Journalism Education Council, Indian Institute of Mass Communication and UNESCO. Prof. Sanjay Dwivedi, Director General of IIMC, Additional Director General K. Satish Nambudiripad, Dr. Pankaj Mittal, Secretary General, Association of Indian Universities, Dr. Verica Rupar, Chairperson, WJEC, AUT, Auckland, New Zealand and the event convenor Prof (Dr.) Surbhi Dahiya spoke on 100 years of Media Education in India and New Education Policy. The session was moderated by Prof (Dr.) Sangeeta Pranavendra.
The program’s Chief Guest, Dr. Pankaj Mittal, Secretary General of the Association of Indian Universities, emphasized that the ‘Academic Bank of Credit’ system based on current technology will bring about significant changes for students. India’s National Education Policy is trying to modernise and improve its educational system for students. In his opening remark, Eric Falt stated that, given the shifting dimensions of media, the current period appears to be a time for change. Many parts of our lives are now influenced by social media. Prof. Sanjay Dwivedi, Director General of the IIMC, said that a Media Education Council is required to improve the quality of media education. With its support, the curriculum of journalism and mass communication education will be enhanced, and journalists will be trained to meet the needs of the media sector.
Eminent personalities and Media educators from the world launched Prof. (Dr.) Surbhi Dahiya’s book ‘The House that Zee Built’ on this occasion. Professor Emeritus Dr. Alan B Albarran of North Texas University, USA, Chairman of the Haryana State Council of Higher Education, Prof. B.K. Kuthiala, Mr. Anurag Batra, Founder of Exchange4Media, Prof. Dr. Graham Murdock of Loughborough University, Prof. Dr. DayaThusu of Hong Kong Baptist University, Dr. Devesh Kishore, former professor of IIMC, AEJMC Vice President Dr. Deb Aikat of University of North Carolina, JRE, IAMCR chair Dr. Sadia Jamil from Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi, UAE, AMIC Secretary General,Prof. Ramon Guillermofrom Phillipinesand Prof. Dr. RashaEl Ibiary from Future University in Egypt, Mr. Richard Pamatatau from Auckland University and Mr. Kapish Mehra, Managing Director, Rupa Publications, expressed their views on the book and appreciated her efforts to publish a book on India’s media giant.
In the Roundtable Plenary 1, on the topic ‘Multi-dimensional Approach to Journalism Education in India’, Prof. Verika Rupar, Chairperson of the World Journalism Education Council( WJEC) , Prof. B.P. Sanjay from Manipal Institute of Communication, Prof. Usha Raman from University of Hyderabad, Prof. Daya Thusu from Hong Kong Baptist University, Prof. Biswajit Das from CCMG, Jamia Millia Islamia, Prof. DVR Murty from Andhra University, Prof. Jayashree Jethwani, Prof. Gopalan Raveendran from Central University of Tamil Nadu and Prof. Chandrabhanu Patnaik from Institute of Knowledge Society, Bhubaneswar and Prof Surbhi Dahiya, Course Director, English Journalism, IIMC deliberated on the topic
In the third session of the event, a discussion was organized on the topic ‘Hybrid Newsroom’. In this session, Prof. Govind Singh, Dean (Academic) IIMC, Prof. Shahid Rasool from Central University of Kashmir, Adviser to APJ Education Society Prof. Ashok Ogra, senior journalist K.A. Badrinath, Chief Editor of Organizer Magazine, Mr. Prafulla Ketkar, Dr. Moushumi Bhattacharya, Associate Professor, Visva Bharati University, Shantiniketan, Prof. Shahid Ali from Kushabhau Thackeray University of Journalism and Mass Communication, Raipur, Dean (Student Welfare) IIMC, Prof. Pramod Kumar and Ms. Garima Sharma Nijhawan participated.
In the last session of the programme, the former Vice Chancellor of Assam University, Prof. K.V. Nagraj, Prof. B.K. Ravi from Bangalore University.Dr. Madhavi Reddy from Savitribai Phule Pune University, Dr. Saima Sayeed from Jamia Millia Islamia,Dr. Jatin Srivastava from Ohio University, Dr. Sanjay Ranade from Mumbai University, Dr. Deepti Ganapathy from IIM Bangalore, Dr. Ankuran Dutta from Guwahati University and Dr. Parul Mehra from Trinity Institute also attended.
On the second and last day of the conference, discussions will be organized on the topics ‘Journalism in the Digital Age’, ‘Need for Research in Media Sector’, ‘Challenges and Possibilities of Online Education’ and ‘Development of Indian Linguistic Journalism and Media Education’. Eminent journalists and media educators from the world will participate in the programme.