The state of Jammu and Kashmir is facing an unending crisis of employment for educated youth. I believe the print and electronic media industry provides a chosen career option for several young and talented students. Therefore, it is imperative for the state government to develop media education on priority basis.
Earlier a flair for writing, good communication and temperament to work hard were the basic requirements for pursuing a career in print and electronic media. But with the growth in the industry, besides, academic qualification, an inquisitive bent of mind, knowledge of current affairs and history and the power of expression through writing and speaking are essential
I have always regarded the importance of print and electronic media as potential source of employment for our talented youth. It is with this vision that, I as Principal Govt. College Baramulla, from August 2000 to October 2005, made the College a hub of professional and vocational courses like Mass Communication and Video Production (MCVP), Mass Communication and Multimedia Production (MCMP), Information Technology, BCA and MCA. By the grace of Allah we managed to run these courses efficiently and produced skilled and enterprising youth. I feel encouraged to learn that a good number of pass outs of these streams have been able to secure honorable and lucrative jobs in media industry at national and international levels. But I am pained to place on record that after my retirement these courses were not run with the same zeal and fervor. No infrastructure has been added nor have any posts of teachers or technicians created for the professional courses including PG Department of Mathematics during the past seven years. I am hopeful that introduction of MCMP Course, during the current academic session, by Government College for Women, M.A. Road, Srinagar, may catalyze revitalization of these courses in Baramulla College, presently headed by a competent principal.
As reported by Greater Kashmir April 15, 2012, it is encouraging that the upcoming branch of Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), New Delhi, being established in Jammu, will be starting Post Graduate Diploma Course in Journalism (English) during the forthcoming academic session and that the Higher Education Department is eagerly looking for acquiring five to ten acres of land at Nagrota for establishing its Jammu and Kashmir branch. Nevertheless, my heart bleeds as I recall the day when Prof. B.P. Sanjay, the then Director IIMC, visited Government College Baramulla  in June 2004 and offered to start Post Graduate Diploma Course in Mass Communication and Journalism in this College in collaboration with IIMC. It was agreed that the College would provide accommodation and all other logistics were to be provided by IIMC. Moreover, IIMC, New Delhi, would act as the platform for campus selection of these students. Subsequently an MOU was signed to this effect. In October 2005 (the Month in which I retired), the Director IIMC approached the Higher Education Department to fix date for inspection of the college. But as ill luck would have it, no date was fixed by the college for the visit of IIMC team. In this way the whole idea of establishing the said course was put on ice. Under the present circumstances when the state government is realizing the importance of establishing a branch of IIMC in Jammu, it is opportune time for the Principal Government College Baramulla to take up the matter with the Higher Education Department and IIMC, New Delhi. The civil society of Baramulla is of the opinion that it is obligatory for the Higher Education Department to establish the branch of IIMC in Baramulla Town and start Post Graduate Diploma Course (PGDC) in Mass Communication and Journalism in Baramulla College in collaboration with IIMC New Delhi on the basis of first come first serve and equal opportunities for all.
Author is a former college principal.
Reach him at Prof_mismail@yahoo.co.in

Lastupdate on : Sun, 10 Jun 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
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