Friday 8 July 2016

Press Release: "Seminar examines need for a global edge to higher education"


 
 
 
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 MinisterAlfred 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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Vidhi Mehta
 
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