ITANAGAR, 23 Feb: The Rajiv Gandhi University Research Scholars’ Forum (RGURSF) in a memorandum urged Education Minister Taba Tedir to introduce mass communication & journalism and psychology subjects as undergraduate degree courses in government colleges of the state, laying importance on the relevance and usage of the subjects in the education system.
A delegation of the RGURSF which met the minister at the civil secretariat here on Tuesday said they have informed him about the need to include mass communication and psychology as subjects in the state’s higher education curriculum.
“All over the world, there is a growing need for media education and accordingly, the same need is felt in our state, as well. Today, a child is born in a multimedia culture. One does not just rely on old means of communication for information but has access to the contemporary media as well,” the RGURSF said.
It also pointed out numerous instances where media was misused or abused, which resulted in conflicts and ill-fated incidents like mob lynching.
“As a part of informational society, there is a need to guide and empower our youth to become ethically aware and equip themselves with new media technologies responsibly for a better tomorrow,” the forum said.
The RGURSF’s memorandum stated that postgraduate courses in both these subjects are already available at Rajiv Gandhi University, and that there are sufficient MA, PhD and UGC-NET holders who are qualified to teach in colleges.
Citing the example of neighbouring states like Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram, which offer mass communication and journalism as a subject in their government-run colleges, the forum said, “In today’s digital age, media literacy is very crucial for the development of citizenship skills needed to promote a thriving democracy, which our neighboring states have realized.”
“Introducing mass communication will not only help in creating a body of responsible trained media professionals who will contribute to the state’s growth but also offer separate posts of teachers to the hundreds of qualified degree holders who can teach these courses,” it said.
Also urging the government to start psychology subject in colleges, the forum said that “psychology is already a part of the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Combined Competition Exam (APPSCCE). It is required for the personality development of students. The subject at the UG level will help create awareness on preventing social issues like substance abuse addiction, suicide, etc.”
The RGURSF said that the minister, “who showed optimism to the memorandum,” has referred the matter to be taken up by the education department and the directorate of higher and technical education commissioner.
