Films

Challenges to Media education

 

The boom in the media industry across the globe has triggered a perception among the media practitioners that there is a need to evolve techniques that would ensure that the professionalism in the field is upheld at all costs. Given the emergence of social media and concepts like the citizen journalism there is a growing perception that the media industry in general and the journalism in particular may become a casualty. Easy availability of tools and platforms like the Facebook, blogs and twitter may have added to the flow of communication but in absence of the regulating agencies it becomes imperative for the media practitioners that they come up with suggestions that help the increase of communication process and at the same time, help maintain the sanctity of this profession. In such a scenario, the focus needs to be on the media education. Though, the institutions of the media studies have upgraded their curriculum in sync with the new technology, the level of participation by the students of media seems unconvincing. In Kashmir, though the media education is provided at both the under-graduate as well as the post-graduate level, the amount of criticism these institutions face is something that needs to be discussed thoroughly. The curriculum for the media courses taught here needs either an upgrade or an overall change. There is an utter need to encourage the involvement of the professionals from the field. The participation of the students in the field work has to be made compulsory. For this purpose, the industry as well as the education sector needs to join hands and evolve a broader consensus for the betterment of the students pursuing studies in the courses like the media. Furthermore, the media students have to be exposed to the modern technology and tools which require an active support of the administrative machinery to make the availability of the facilities by providing funds and financial assistance.