Discussion on ‘Redefining the Industry-Institute Interface in Media Education’ held at Daffodil International University

A roundtable discussion on "Redefining the Industry-Institute Interface in Media Education" organised by the Department of Journalism, Media and Communication (JMC) of Daffodil International University (DIU) was held today (13 January) at 71 Milonayoton of Daffodil Education Network in the capital. 

Dr Golam Rahman, advisor of JMC department of DIU and editor, Ajker Patrika, chaired the session while Professor Ujjwal K Chowdhury, adviser of DIU and eminent Indian academician addressed the session as the chief discussant. 

The round table was also addressed by Professor AMM Hamidur Rahman, dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of DIU, Aftab Hossain, head of the JMC Department, Mizan Malik, deputy editor of Amader Somoy, Dr Muniruzzaman, information officer of UN office, Dhaka, Abir Shrestha, prominent filmmaker, NTV reporter Masud Raihan, journalists Abdur Razzak and Sadia Shahrin Jheel of Aajkar Patrika, Mamunur Rashid of Jamuna TV and Mir Jasim of Business Standard, along with almost 30 journalists from various media houses.

Addressing the round table, Professor Ujjwal K Chowdhury said, "There is no course on Media Economy in our universities. But the media has a potential contribution in our economy. Media contributes for 3.5% of total GDP in the United States, 2.6% of GDP in the United Kingdom, and 1.6% of GDP in India. The actual calculation in this regard is not known in Bangladesh, but it can be assumed that the contribution of media to the GDP of Bangladesh will not be less than 1%,"

"Without a real idea about media economy, the future of media cannot be known and without knowing the future of any sector, one cannot build a career in that sector. Students who studying media in Bangladesh need to have an idea about the market size of the media. And this responsibility mainly belongs to the universities,"

"The syllabus should be continuously updated. Students need to build a career fit. Students need to be prepared with the mentality of 'I will study for half a day, I will do practical work for half a day. That means they will not only read but will learn by practically as well as read. The course curriculum has to be organised that way."

Professor Dr Golam Rahman said in his presidential speech, "The job market is changing. The demand for specialized jobs is increasing day by day. There is no such thing as a general job now. In other words, if you want to get a job, you have to be an expert in a particular sector,"

He commented that Modern journalism would require a combination of theory and practical classes. He urged the students to do various experiments from the very beginning and learn the grammar of it before doing the experiment. 

"There is a process of knowing and learning. Students have to move forward following the process. At the same time, he called upon the students to be creative. He said that it is not enough to just teach technology to the students. They also need to be taught creativity," he said.