orissalinks - Journalism Education in Orissa

Journalism is fast becoming a specialised profession requiring specialised theoretical and practical knowledge and skill. With the development of information technology journalists today need to acquire soft skills to handle equipment and the process of collecting, retrieving, processing and disseminating information, besides developing conceptual clarity relating to content, which requires a sound theoretical framework.

This makes journalism education a difficult proposition. The way it is taught varies from one country to another and even from one university to another. “Broadly speaking, it is considered either as the study of modern society or as a form of professional training. In the first case, study is focused on the theory of communications and the interaction of communications with other aspects of society; in the second case, the techniques of journalism are studied. Between these two extremes is a whole range of approaches which combine the academic and pragmatic approaches in various degrees” [1]

In India journalism education began in early 40s in Punjab University. There after many universities have started journalism course. Indian Institute of Mass communication was established in 1965. The growth of education has in mass communication been phenomenal in the last two decades. Today, India has over 200 media institutes compared to just over 25 in the early 80s, offering various courses. There is a university for journalism education now: Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University for Journalism and Mass communication (MCU) in Bhopal, MadhyaPradesh, which was set up in 1990.

The demand for trained manpower in this sector is growing. It is estimated that by the end of 2010, India will require about 15,00,000 media professionals. Hence many universities and private institutions are opening journalism courses. Courses are being designed and offered for mid-career media persons too for value addition and/or skill upgradation. For example IIMC has a number of such short term courses. Mediamentor Foundation has collaborated with MCU to offer short term courses on TV anchoring, Radio Presenting, Public Relations, Script writing and Freelance Journalism in the Noida campus of MCU. [2] This kind of collaboration with private institutions, even NGOs are new phenomena that is being practised across the country including Orissa.

In Orissa Berhampur University started Journalism teaching programme in 1974. Chintamani Mahapatra, a journalist turned journalism teacher was the person who ushered journalism education in Orissa.

Besides Berhampur University, till mid 80s there were not many institutions that provided journalism teaching in Orissa. Things began to change from late 80s.

Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) opened a campus in Dhenkanal in 1993 and offered Post Graduate Diploma in English Journalism with 40 seats. This was the first reputed professional media-training institute to be set up in the state. IIMC began to attract, train and provide a steady stream of young professionals to the local papers that were on par with journalists anywhere in the country.

Presently there are nearly 15 institutes in Orissa — both government and private — offering various courses in journalism and mass communication. With declining interest in normal degree courses and a growing demand for professional programmes, more and more students in the State now want to join journalism-training institutes. Likewise, the expansion in the print media and television channels and creation of fresh job opportunities in the profession is attracting more and more to join the profession. Nearly 200 students at present pass out from such institutes every year in the State.

Here is a brief list of institutes - both government and private (affiliated to some University) offering various mass communication courses in Orissa. The list is not exhaustive, but indicative.

1. Berhampur University, Berhampur. Two years masters degree programme
2. Indian Institute of Mass communication, Dhenkanal. Offers PG Diploma in Journalism in English and Oriya.
3. Utkal University, Bhubaneswar. Two years masters degree programme
4. Sambalpur University, Sambalpur, Two years masters degree programme. By correspondence .
5. North Orissa University, Baripada
6. Ravenshaw Autonomous College, Cuttack. Offers both post graduate Diploma and Masters Degree Course
7. CEDEC, NISWASS, Bhubaneswar. Affiliated to Utkal University. Two years Masters Degree programme
8. Institute of Media Studies (IMS), Bhubaneswar, Affiliated to Utkal University. Two years masters degree programme
9. Academy of management and information technology (AMIT), Bhubaneswar, Affiliated to Utkal University. Two years masters degree programme
10. Bharatiya Vidya Bhaban, Bhubaneswar. Affiliated to Utkal University. Two years masters degree programme
11. IGNOU, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Angul Centre. Post graduate diploma course. By correspondence.

IIMC started a post graduate diploma course in Oriya journalism in 2000. This was for the first time that IIMC started language journalism course besides English and Hindi. This has gone a long way in training Oriya journalism students and has immensely helped in raising the professional standard of journalism in Oriya.

But in general, when it comes to quality of course content and training, lot remains to be done. Besides IIMC and to some extent Berhampur university most of the other institutes providing journalism teaching lack sufficient infrastructure. Most of them are theory-oriented. Students lack industry-preparedness. There is not much industry-academics interface, which poses a hindrance in placement of students. Many institutes are starting Journalism courses with exorbitant fee structure (even universities are opening journalism courses on self-finance mode) without proper infrastructure and faculty. The result is poor quality education.

So, as Elisha Pattnaik, a Cuttack based journalist comments “when on one hand the growing media and journalism education institutes in Orissa have opened vistas for many who want to pursue a career in journalism — their unregulated growth and the poor quality of training being imparted is a matter of serious concern not only for the students’ future, but also for the profession.” [3]

Notes and References

1. Sharma S.R.(Editor in Chief), Journalism as a Profession, Radha Publications, NewDelhi, 1996, p-16-17
2. Retrieved on 13 July 2006, from mediamentors.net/faqs.htm
3. Pattnaik Elisha, elisapatnaik@yahoo.com Journalism Education in Orissa, retrieved on 13 July from thehoot.org