SRINAGAR: A 3 day workshop on “Essentials of Media Reporting” for teacher educators organised by the State Council of Education Research and Training (SCERT) concluded here yesterday.
The workshop, which was organized by the media wing of SCERT, was attended by Nasir Mirza, Former Professor, Media Education Research Centre (MERC), Dr Ruheela Hassan Sheikh, Assistant Professor, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), Muzaffar Ahmad Shah, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Traffic, Srinagar and Zarif Ahmad Zarif, a noted satirist, poet and historian.
Prof Mirza, while describing media as most precious gift of twentieth century to the twenty first’, said all stakeholders must endorse your hard work to understand the importance of the task borne by the teachers.
“The culture of taking out magazines and newsletters has not only to be renewed in educational institutions but supported well by the newest forms of technology viz social media, podcasts, video casts,” he said.
Dr Ruheela Hassan, while appreciating teachers for contributing to education through radio programs, underlined the importance of radio education and urged the participants to learn the fundamental skills involving use of television, radio and internet in the field of education.
“Radio is as important a tool as other means of mass communication to disseminate awareness especially to the far off places where internet connectivity is an issue,” Dr Hassan said. “During natural calamities like earthquakes and floods radio becomes the only tool to rely on”, he added.
Prof Mirza, while giving the example of “Mann Ki Baat” seconded Dr Hassan in her assertion that radio still occupied a significant role despite availability of all the latest technologies of communication.
The workshop included a segment wherein a panel discussion was arranged as an example for the participants to report on. Muzaffar Ahmad Shah, SSP Traffic, Srinagar, Dr Rabia Mughal, senior academic officer, SCERT, Farooq Shah, coordinator of the workshop, Javed Kirmani, in-charge radio programs, SCERT, Dr Shabnam, HOD, Education in Languages, talked about the traffic scenario of the city in the discussion. Some participants filmed the discussion on their mobile phones while others wrote notes on their diaries.
The coordinator screened news articles directly from their source while explaining them in the light of 5Ws1H and the inverted pyramid scheme.
Later, the coordinator explained all the terms in the glossary of journalism.
Zarif Ahmad Zarif, who was the guest of honour on the closing ceremony, said the teachers have got to adorn their nature with the virtues of truthfulness, honesty and objectivity.
“All these virtues, truthfulness, honesty and objectivity are the hallmark of journalism and must not be let go while reporting on education,” Zarif said. “Praise from the audience is the biggest award given to a teacher”, he maintained.