Seminar examines need for a global edge to higher education
Mumbai, June 30,
2016:
Practical training during the course of taking a degree, strong industry connect
and the need to remove the association of “skilling up” with labour
in order to bring it into mainstream education – these were the traits
that panel experts more or less agreed upon during a seminar on the need for a
global edge to media studies, held at St Pauls Institute of Communication
Education on Tuesday.
Among those who spoke were Carol
Andrade, veteran journalist and Dean of the Institute, Mahrukh Inayat, roving
editor with Headlines Today, and Dr Pratibha Jain, managing director of Eduabroad.
More than 100 students from several city colleges attended.
Carol Andrade spoke of the way
the demand for college education had grown steadily since
Independence , and had virtually exploded
since liberation in the mid-nineties, with more than 8 million students on the
roles of more than 8,000 colleges in 261 universities.
In spite of this, 8 million
students are going abroad every year to study, spending nearly $13 billion in
the process. And most of these are students from middle class families, searching
for that global edge that will make them fit for the workplace in an age when
technology has shrunk the globe. Hence there was a need to globalize education
here at home, seeing that there was such a heavy demand.
Mahrukh Inayat talked about her own
experience, studying television journalism at the American
University in New
York and returning to work in the electronic medium back in
India
where her training literally gave her an edge over others, making her a
stand-out journalist comfortable in the modern newsroom. She spoke of the
emphasis on doing, the encouragement given to critical thinking and added,
“With the explosion of social media and digital platforms, it becomes
even more critical to understand the role of mass media education. Today any
kind of information is being passed off as news and the process of checks and
balances that would normally be a part of everyday reportage are also
changing.”
Dr. Pratibha Jain made a strong
case for understanding the role that technology plays in accessing higher
education, both for students and teachers, and urged the audience to make use
of social media practically and profitably. She also declared that students
themselves should find out exactly what they want to do and examine whether
they wanted to start out with the burden of an educational loan incurred to
study abroad, when online courses were freely and affordably available. She
also said that there was a crying need to internationalize education here at
home, and that a beginning had already been made, with colleges offering
courses on the digital platform and exchange taking place at both teacher and
student levels, mostly in the private sector.
Last of all, Dr. Dominic
D’Silva, Director of St Pauls Institute, revealed that the establishment
had tied up with Deakin
University of
Australia to offer a two-year
Masters of Communication through its campuses in Mumbai and Bengaluru. It has
been designed especially for those who aim for careers in journalism, PR,
corporate communications and advertising. The advantage accruing to students is
that they would receive an internationally-recognized degree at one-third of
the course fee. At the same time, it will be possible to opt to do one or both
semesters in the final year at the Deakin Campus itself, by paying the
on-campus fee.
The design of the course focuses
on prior learning in various media fields within the domestic scenario, while
skilling with the global systems, processes and best practices from
Australia .
Emphasis will be given on learning from Industry experts, participation in live
case studies, placing the students in internships in leading organizations and
guidance from the best faculty in
India . “Our students will
have the edge because they will be trained to be successful in the Indian
environment with a degree from one of the best universities of the world The
Master of Communication program fills the void for students aspiring to be
successful in journalism, public relations, advertising, corporate
communications, public affairs, etc” said institute director Dr. (Fr)
Dominic D'Silva.
Deakin University has been ranked among the top
150 universities in the world for communication both by Times Higher Education
(THE) and 2016 QS subject rankings. St Pauls Institute of Communication Education
is an up and coming establishment already known for its Post Graduate
programmes in Journalism and Advertising, both of which emphasis first class
faculty, and state of the art infrastructure in its Mumbai campus.
In addition to this, they have
also introduced Advanced Learning Certificate Courses from Tata Institute of
Social Sciences (TISS) designed especially for working people and scheduled
three times a week in the evenings, or at weekends. Courses offered include
Digital Marketing, Web Design, Public Relations & Corporate Communications
and Videography. Graphic Design, Video Editing, Digital Photography, Film
Making Certificate and Multi Media Animation.
About St Pauls
Institute of Communication Education (SPICE)
SPICE is a fast-growing media school
in India ,
offering three comprehensive Post-Graduate Programs that train students for a
career in Print, Digital and Television journalism, Advertising and Public
Relations. With top-notch media faculty and excellent infrastructure, SPICE is
the go-to destination for Gen Next media professionals. More information can be
sourced from www. stpaulsice.com
About
Deakin University ,
Australia
Deakin University is a multi-award winning
university with world-class research facilities and a longstanding record for
using cutting edge technology while providing a highly personalized learning
experience. Established in 1974, the University was named after the
leader of the Australian federation movement and the nation's second Prime Minister, Alfred
Deakin. In Australia ,
Deakin is located on three campuses in the state of Victoria – Melbourne
Burwood Campus, Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus and Geelong Waterfront Campus.
Deakin is ranked in the top 150 universities in the world for communication,
2016 QS subject rankings. More information can be sourced from www.deakin.edu.au
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