Understanding of the National Education Policy on the Discipline of Media Studies

About the Discipline

The Media comprises of different types of Communication like television, radio, cinema, newspaper, magazines and websites or internet portal. The Media in India is active since the 18^th century, with the beginning of Print in 1780 followed by radio broadcasting in 1927 (National institute of Mass Communication, 2003).  The media in India has a very bright past in the medium as it was the only source of transferring information from one place to another. Bengal, Mumbai and Madras (Chennai) where the main cities in India where media had taken a complete turn over. The main medium of information was through the print hence it made great impact during that time.

Mass media in education are press, radio, motion-picture, television, etc. therefore there are many and these are technically called passive agencies of education. They influence the attitude and behavior of the people indirectly. These agencies cover entertainment, informatory propaganda, historical record, education and improvement of moral judgment and moral tone of the people.

Education today, therefore, has a far greater responsibility than it had ever before. It has to meet the demands of a dynamic world which changes its character every day. Contemporary education has to be more comprehensive and complete than it was ever before. The role of the various agencies of education like home, society, community etc. has consequently increased, so has the role of the mass media like television, radio, cinema, newspaper increased. So now-a-days, press, radio, cinema, television, etc. are becoming more and more important in an individual's life.

The 484-page draft (which includes six pages devoted to acronyms), consists of four parts:  dealing with "School Education," "Higher Education," "Additional Key Focus Areas," and "Transforming Education," with an addendum, and 14 appendices. It is animated by a vision to create an "India-centered" education system that will lead to the creation of an "equitable and vibrant knowledge society" (p 41).

This Policy also envisages space for teachers to create and transact courses (especially in higher education), and insists on the continued allocation of public funds to strengthen the educational system (p 208).

With regards to the discipline of Media, it speaks more in general about the communicative skill that needs to bring a shift in the schools, higher education institutions and research universities. The milestone year for school education being 2025-2030 with various goals set for each age group. With regards to higher education, existing colleges and universities will be brought down to 15,000 educational institutions and divided into 3 types.

Additionally, the impact on media and media colleges, the students would benefit significantly when everything is streamlined, various resources can be shared between colleges when technology is in-tune with education. Instead of having several not so good quality colleges, if we have a few high quality educational institutions it will definitely benefit the students and teachers as well to have best in class facilities, etc. The National education policy also suggests that most institutions should have BVOC (Bachelor in vocational programs) (Certificate courses) so that the students can be skilled, practically and theoretically. This will make them more flexible in terms moving ahead in life. In (P1.7.) it states that the large advocacy would take place through public services and messages and media campaigns, direct communication between pre-primary education programmes and parents, and wide-scale dissemination of simple methods and materials to enable parents to actively support their children's early learning needs will be prioritised and proactively supported.

This policy is also looking towards a support of technology-based educational interventions, therefore things like minimizing rote learning and encouraging holistic development. This would include the 21st century skills such as critical thinking, creativity, scientific temper, communication, collaboration, multilingualism, problem solving, ethics, social responsibility, and digital literacy (P77).

Media and Communication being a very important tool in this century has changed every notion of our life so that tomorrow, the field of education is not bound within 4 walls but accessible anywhere at the click of a button.