Seminar held: ‘Media should spread awareness about education’

Columnist says facilitating social change media’s greatest responsibility

LAHORE: Government College University (GCU) Faisalabad Vice Chancellor Muhammad Ali said on Saturday that the media should use its power to spread awareness about education.

Ali made the remarks at a seminar on the role of media in education. He said the media and educational institutions had the responsibility to enlighten citizens. Ali said they should work in tandem to create a better society.

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Columnist Naeem Masood said the media had been solely drawing attention to society’s negative aspects. He said the media should play its due role in eradicating politics from educational institutions. Masood said the sector was being taken over by bureaucrats and politicians.

He said the federal and provincial higher education commissions should not determine rankings of varsities. Masood said this was the media’s job. “In the developed world, universities are ranked by the media...Pakistan should follow suit and task it with the job,” he said. Commenting on the constitution of provincial higher education commissions following the passage of the 18th Amendment, he said the commissions had busied themselves in squabbling rather than revamping the sector.

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Columnist Mujahid Mansoori said the media had been highlighting the challenges confronting the sector. He said it had to do more on this account nevertheless. Mansoori said the challenges confronting the media were not solely premised on paucity of resources. He said they were linked to the broader issue of prevalent social attitudes. Mansoori said facilitating social change in this regard was the media’s greatest responsibility. He said this would culminate in the sector being prioritised. Mansoori said communication was the only medium that could be used to bring about social change.

Columnist Yasir Peerzada also spoke on the occasion.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 18^th, 2015.