SRINAGAR: Media scholars, graduates, and students in Jammu and Kashmir have called for various reforms in media education during a meeting with Education Minister Sakina Itoo on Saturday. The delegation urged the inclusion of Media Studies in the senior secondary curriculum and the expansion of Mass Communication programmes across the region’s colleges.
The demand for integrating Media Studies into the educational framework has been ongoing since 2015, with various stakeholders emphasising the necessity of media literacy in an increasingly digital world. Despite a proposal from the Directorate of School Education Kashmir in 2020, the subject remains absent from the curriculum. Even as the government announced 575 new lecturer positions, Media Studies was notably excluded.
Drawing inspiration from states like Delhi, Kerala, and Maharashtra, where Media Studies has been successfully integrated, the scholars highlighted the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) 2012 initiative to introduce the subject as a vocational option, demonstrating its effectiveness in building media literacy at the school level.
The proposed curriculum aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the media landscape, focusing on local media dynamics, hands-on media production, digital content creation, media ethics, conflict reporting, and digital literacy. It also seeks to cover essential topics such as cultural representation, media laws, and strategic communication.
The delegation outlined several key reforms, including the recruitment of qualified Assistant Professors, the introduction of Media Studies at the senior secondary level, and the expansion of Mass Communication programmes to every district in Jammu and Kashmir. These changes are expected to create new employment opportunities for Media Studies scholars and graduates, opening career paths in journalism, public relations, advertising, media production, and digital consultancy.
Sakina Itoo acknowledged the concerns raised by the delegation, expressing her support for the proposal and committing to a review of the outlined demands. She assured the scholars of her intent to address these issues, recognising the importance of media education in equipping the youth with essential skills for a rapidly evolving media landscape.
