This article was first published in the New Vision on March 31, 2021
By Conan Businge
From buying a newspaper to opening a news app on your phone; from renting a DVD to streaming your favourite television series on a smart TV; it is undeniable that the digital transformation of the media industry has already begun.
The transformation is already affecting newsrooms in the country. For those who missed this kind of training in journalism schools, they get a bit of it in the newsroom.
To catch up with this growing trend, Uganda’s journalism schools have revised their curriculum.
Thanks to the Norwegian Programme for Capacity Development (NORHED) project in Makerere University and Uganda Christian University, Mukono (UCU), the transformation of starting new media training at a bachelor’s and master’s level, has already kicked off.
The digitisation of the media industry has been driven by changing consumer behaviour and expectations, especially among younger generations who demand instant access to content, anytime, anywhere.
Michael Niyitegeka, an information and technology expert, says we are at the edge of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR), the next phase of living; which is sparked by advanced technologies.
“Virtual reality and artificial intelligence influence many aspects of our lives. As these continue to advance, so will the way we work.
“It can also create an opportunity for graduates to start studying courses which match with the growing trends. If our graduates are not well-skilled, there will be an increase in unemployment,” he says.
A 2019 UNESCO report, done on the growth of journalism in Uganda, found that there was need to massively change the way journalists are trained.
Indeed, with the growth of more PhD holders at Makerere and Uganda Christian University and several other universities; the trend to new media studies is taking root in Uganda.
Latif Naika, the News Editor of Kamuli Broadcasting Services, commented on the curriculum, saying the university training does not give the students the right practical skills.
“The curriculum should be revised to cater for the practical world of journalism,” he says. Out of 55 journalists surveyed by UNESCO, most of 45 confirmed that journalism training covered ethics, while the rest were not sure of whether they gained much from their university studies.
In its 2019 report, UNESCO recommends: “Journalists should be equipped with training that reflects global trends.
“Training institutions should regularly evaluate and review their curriculum to incorporate issues of global concern of journalism that reflects the local and global perspectives.”
Dr William Tayeebwa, the former head of the department of journalism and communication at Makerere University, explains that a curriculum review process at the institution was completed and submitted to relevant Senate and Graduate School committees in 2018/2019 for final review and clearance to the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE). This was done with funding and support from the NORHED project.
The project also supported the development of two new bachelor’s programmes which promote the new media and advancement in journalism trends. The current Makerere University policy reduces undergraduate programmes but, the Senate retained this current programme.
The department has also developed two bachelor of arts programmes at the University of Juba. These programmes birthed the new School of Journalism, Media and Communication launched in the 2019/2020 academic year.
There were also curriculum reviews at the College of Journalism and Mass Communication in Kathmandu.
In Uganda, the department is in the country’s oldest university, Makerere University. The institution started a mass communication course in 1988, to professionalise journalism and communication.
Tayeebwa says after 24 years, Journalism and Communication is now a separate department offering Ugandans the chance to develop their print, broadcasting, photography, communication and public relations talents. This is alongside the changing world of technology and consumer behaviour.
He adds that due to the changing global and industry dynamics in media, journalism and communication, there is a growing need to review the undergraduate and graduate curricula.
In 2004, the department started a master’s programme in journalism and communication.
This step answered the need for an advanced journalism degree or diploma. Non-journalists have also applied for the course to attain the right skills and qualifications needed at work.
The department was the first establishment to offer a degree programme in mass communication in East Africa.
For years, the Government of the Royal Kingdom of Norway provided millions of dollars in bilateral support to countries in the global south.
That is how the Government of Uganda, has benefitted from this project, for the promotion of journalism training.
“This is a culmination of the university and other projects’ investment in journalism education and training, in this institution in the last two decades,” the University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor for academic affairs, Assoc. Prof. Umar Kakumba, remarks.
Based on UNESCO and other studies, Makerere University is now taking the lead in Uganda and the region, in having the highest number of qualified lecturers. The institution also has the the highest eligible graduates at the master’s and PhD levels in the country and the region; with special attention to the new media and trends in journalism.
The department has grown in the last three decades from a handful of lecturers with bachelor’s and master’s degrees; to Doctors of Philosophy and professors; working as lecturers in the department.
All this is attributed to the Norwegian Programme for Development, Research and Education that run from 1991 to 2012.
Since Uganda, 2013, NORHED has supported other universities such as UCU and Makerere University, to promote the growth of journalism education. At UCU, the project has supported five PhD students. The university also started a master’s degree in journalism.
There are other institutions which have benefited. These include the College of Journalism and Mass Communication (CJMC) in Kathmandu, Nepal; Departments of Mass Communication and Development Communication at University of Juba (UoJ); Department of Journalism and Communication at Makerere University (DJC) and Department of Media and Journalism Studies at Oslo Metropolitan University in Norway (OsloMet).
Professionalisation
A 2019 study done by UNESCO shows that 36% of the journalists in Uganda have a bachelor’s degree in media or journalism, 32% have a diploma and 20% hold a certificate.
Those without training in journalism were 7%, while journalists who have a master’s degree or above, were 3%.
The rest have a postgraduate diploma.
With the latest developments in Uganda, many of the students who had bachelor’s degrees in journalism have now upgraded to master’s.
Institutions like Makerere University and UCU have now started master’s programmes, with so many graduates churned out over the years.
With the growing PhD holders at the institutions, more master’s students can join journalism and communication studies.
Makerere now has nine PhD holders. Over time, the capacity of PhD holders has also grown, and there are now five PhD holders; thanks to the NORHED project.
Tayeebwa says Makerere University has dramatically helped the number of master’s students increase in the country.
The Master of Arts in Journalism and Communication programme has been on offer for more than a decade and was ready to split into two master’s programmes.
“The new programme emphasises the current and changing trends in the online journalism and multimedia world.
“This trend enables students to connect well with the ongoing and future demands in the industry and in scholarship,” Tayeebwa states.
The second master’s programme developed with the project support is a Master of Arts in Strategic Communication programme.
Tayeebwa says the programme is on high demand from public relations professionals, corporate communication, integrated marketing communication, and development communication.
Compared to Kenya, a 2020 survey done by Kioko Ireri, dubbed Exploring Journalism and Mass Communication Training in Kenya: A National Survey, shows that training in journalism or mass communication is a prerequisite to practice as a journalist in Kenya.
While only 45% of journalists were trained at the level of an associate degree, 91% said they need to get further training.
Kenya Institute of Mass Communication is the most popular institution of journalism and mass communication.
Moreover, 65% of respondents perceive the quality of journalism training as good — though in contrast to this favourable evaluation, local colleges face a litany of serious problems.
Prof. Mukadasi Buyinza says during phase one, the institution won nine projects.
It is the lead partner but was involved in implementing four more projects with colleagues in other partner institutions.
This project, he says, made Makerere University the single institution with the highest number of projects during phase one.
He says the total support was 200 million Norwegian Kroners, an equivalent of $30m for a period covering six years.
PhD Lecturers On The Rise
Uganda now has six doctoral students, five of whom study at the University of Oslo in Norway and one at the University of KwaZulu Natal in South Africa.
An extra four doctoral students were provided partial funding to complete fieldwork research.
Prof. Kristin Skare Orgeret, the NORHED project co-investigator and principal doctoral supervisor, says all the seven doctoral students supported from Makerere University have completed and are back to their teaching duties.
Simultaneously, one at the University of Juba and one at CJMC in Kathmandu has also been completed.
Orgeret hails the lecturers who have gone back for further studies.
“This increases the country’s capacity of PhD holders in journalism and communication. This a great step in the right direction,” she says.
One of the lecturers, who has upgraded from Makerere University, Dr Gerald Walulya, says: “We have been able to upgrade and conduct research on different aspects in the field of journalism and communication.”
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