Ministry of Education needs to seriously consider reforming Journalism training.
The dominance of traditional media as the only news sources is quickly diminishing yet training in institutions continues to churn out journalism graduates annually using an outdated curriculum. This curriculum is tailored such that students are forced to specialize in either broadcast or print media.
Currently, there is a mismatch between the needs of the market and the output from our campuses. That is why perhaps in the past, universities have been criticized for producing ‘half-baked’ graduates when in real sense they are experts in their specific areas.
Public institutions which are sanctioned to train Journalism are not well equipped. They lack communication labs, radio or/and TV studios and other training equipment.
It is only radical reforms that will enable graduates from higher institutions of learning to endure these rapidly changing times. Specialization should be phased out. Instead the curriculum should be tailored to develop multi-skilled journalists. To enable campuses to produce such individuals, they must be supported and be equipped with the necessary training materials.
Esther Nyandoro, a Journalism student at Multi-Media University
