KIJAC –KOSOVO INSTITUTE FOR JOURNALISM AND COMMUNICATION
BYSofija Rexhepi
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KIJAC (KOSOVO INSTITUTE FOR JOURNALISM AND COMMUNICATION) is a 7-10 years project aiming at the establishment of a two year MA programme in Journalism. The faculty is made up of local and international lectures.
The official of the
school say that they aim is to meet European standards of higher education.
According to them KIJAC will enable Kosovan scholars to get PhD’s at international universities in order to become KIJAC professors.
The funds for the KIJAC are provided by the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Students are however required to pay a fee of 600 euros per academic year.
The national kosovar broadcasters have reached a lot already but there is a way now to go in depth, both in the news reporting, entertainment and in the educational function, says a head of a KIJAC, Willem Houwen.
“Kosovo will need at least a whole generation to see the
real fruits of the work we are doing in close cooperation with the media
industry. Our philosophy is that the media sector they will be closely involved
in curriculum of KIJAC and we will be flexible in that, and they will help us
to define the needs that are always changing, both TV radio and Print. “
Keith Bowers former executive BBC producer, is one of the teachers in the KIJAC, and has had a varied carrier in newspaper, radio and television journalism.
“I think the school is what its aim is to do, to prepare people so they are more employable, so that eventually the standard of journalist that goes on to the market place if you like in Kosovan context they will be more highly skilled more highly reflective more aware of modern trends so I think the people who are coming to the school their aim is to make them more employable, to bring up the standard of the television across the whole region.”
KIJAC institute will introduce students how to use Internet technology how to propagate content; and enable them to have a better understanding of what they can do with media and how it can reach their audience on different ways.
“This institute for journalism is important, as one of the key problems in Kosovo is lack of professionalism in the media, so it will eventually contribute to healthier media landscape. “
It is hoped that this course is going to increase the awareness of the whole media industry, to make people more professionally aware, both the practices as journalist, but also to understand the media in which they operate, the landscape, the context and to analyze which media models are successful.
“Opening of this Institute is generally good. It will be in the service of journalist who are already work in media but who couldn’t get an adequate education. However I think it can help to all of those who want to professionalize in certain field; for example in investigative journalism or any filed we like to work.”
25 students are accepted into programme and lectures have started on 10 October 2005.
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