2010-03-31 11:53:48
The Aga Khan Development Network has launched a
new faculty at the Aga Khan University — the Graduate School of Media
and Communications.
To be allied to the new Faculty of Arts and
Sciences, the plans for the new media school were announced by the Aga
Khan at the Pan African Media Conference 2010 held from March 17-18 to
coincide with celebrations of the Nation Media Group’s 50th anniversary.
The
Aga Khan, who founded the group in 1960, said the school “will be
driven, above all, by an absolute commitment to quality,” adding, “In a
world of growing complexity, journalists must increasingly understand
the substantive, sophisticated dimensions of the fields on which they
report — from medical and environmental sciences to economic and
financial disciplines to legal and constitutional matters.”
Nation experience
The
new initiative will build on the Nation’s experience and the unique
strengths of the Network in the region and globally — including
expertise, institutions, and resources in social, economic and cultural
areas of activity.
According to Aga Khan University President
Firoz Rasul, the school will strive to attract a vibrant intellectual
community, anchored by a core of committed media professionals and
scholars of diverse backgrounds and expertise and enriched by visiting,
adjunct and exchange faculty members.
“Initially, its core faculty will together possess critical areas of
expertise, including excellence in journalistic practice, media ethics,
law and social responsibility, media management, media and global and
societal issues,” Mr Rasul said, adding, “The school will cultivate and
maintain a dynamic adjunct and visiting faculty cohort through
partnerships with academic institutions across Africa and globally,
drawing on the diverse array of international and regional media
professionals based in Nairobi.”
It will further focus on reaching rural and marginalised communities, according to Nazeer Ladhani, the director of the School.
“The
school will achieve this by providing a sustainable institutional
platform for strengthening wider media ecosystems in East Africa and
more broadly in the developing world,” he told The EastAfrican.
Planning
of the school’s programmes and facilities has begun and, over the next
year, an initial campus will be established in Nairobi, he added.
The
school will seek to build partnerships with NMG — along with other
media enterprises across Africa — to develop and deliver programmes and
training that meets the diverse needs of the sector.
The formal
launch of the school is anticipated in 2011, although some pre-opening
activities — such as faculty development and African pedagogical
content development initiatives; and events convened by the African
Global Forum for Media and Society — will begin this year.
“A
dedicated website will soon be launched that will track the progress of
the school’s development and profile upcoming events and activities,”
said Mr Ladhani.
AKDN has long recognised the role that a
diverse, independent and socially responsible media sector can play in
strengthening development, pluralism, and governance outcomes.
For
half a century, the Network’s commitment to improving the quality,
reach and impact of journalism in Africa has been expressed through the
Nation Media Group.
Source: theeastafrican.co.ke
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