by K.E. Eapen, B.S. Thakur and B.P. Sanjay

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) comprises the following countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Since there are no University level journalism/communication programmes in Bhutan and Maldives, these countries are not included in the study.

This study was conducted by Professor K.E. Eapen, Professor B.S. Thakur, Punjab University, Chandigarh and Dr. B.P. Sanjay, University of Madras, Madras. The team adopted a methodology to suit the differences that exist in the number of institutions offering communication programmes in these countries. (See Table 1).

In Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka it was possible to visit the institutions and conduct the study. In India, as there are about 50 institutions, a combination of visits and correspondence was used. In addition, the experience of the team members in journalism/communication education in different parts of the country contributed substantially towards the interpretation of the data. While every effort was made by the team to visit Pakistan, it could not take place due to the problems associated with travel from India to Pakistan. However, it was possible to get the relevant information through mail and AMIC, Singapore.

Based on the objectives of the study, a questionnaire was prepared. This questionnaire consisted of two parts. Part I dealt with the background and general information of the institution including faculty strength, student intake and books and supportive teaching material in the institution. Part II concentrated on syllabus and books in addition to information regarding the need and available faculty resources for the production of indigenous text books. In all cases the copy of the syllabus was also procured to strengthen the analysis.

Professors Eapen and Thakur visited Bangladesh for this study. Prof. Thakur went to Nepal and Dr. B.P. Sanjay went to Sri Lanka for data collection. In India the team covered the centres personally in many cases and through mail in others.

* Some institutions offer programmes at more than one level.

** The Student enrolment does not include that of Kota open University whose one-year postgraduate course is through correspondence. The number of students registered is large (about 1000), unlike all regular courses and the inclusion of this figure would have resulted in a distortes picture.

As mentioned earlier a team member could not visit Pakistan for the study. However, the Chairman of the Department of Mass Communication, University of Karachi, has responded to the questionnaire.

The impetus for journalism education in Sri Lanka came from the Government's desire to start job oriented courses. The Ministry of Higher Education in 1971 appointed a five member committee to seek "possibilities and necessities to set up a department" (3). Two years later, a Department of Mass Communication was established at the University of Kelaniya. This is the only University level department. Language Departments at the University of Jayawardenapura and Colombo conduct special courses in writing. The Open University has introduced journalism as one of the subjects through distance education. Outside the University system, the National Institute of Business Management (NIBM) of Sri Lanka conducts part time courses in public relations.

Journalism education in Bangladesh began in 1962. The University of Dhaka offers a three year honours programme and a Master's Programme. The Programme is significant in terms of faculty strength which is the highest in SAARC. This Department has 21 full time faculty members.

In Nepal a beginning has been made at Tribhuvan University with a degree programme in which students can complete the first two years and get a proficiency level certificate or complete the remaining two years and earn a degree.

Full-time faculty members in all these countries are post graduates in the subject or in some cases, social sciences. University employment regulations have restricted the entry of professionals with considerable media experience but lacking in formal qualifications. Ironically, many of them are used for guest and part time lectures. The nature of training imparted in the University and the expectations of the employers in the journalism/communication sector do not match.

In institutions where the team or a team member made a personal visit, data was collected through interview and discussion with the chairperson and wherever possible, the faculty members. The chairperson or a faculty member was also requested to fill in the questionnaire.

Journalism/communication education in SAARC has history of almost half a century. Beginning with a diploma programme in Aligarh in 1938, it has spread substantially to other parts of the region.

In India, the first attempt was made by Mrs. Annie Besant at the National University at Adyar, Madras. This did not last long. Efforts made by the Indian Journalists Association, Calcutta, to sponsor a training course for journalists also failed. It was at Aligarh that the first university level instruction course in journalism was introduced in 1938. This was abolished in 1940. The Department of Journalism started by Professor P.P. Singh at Lahore under the auspices of Punjab University in 1941 is the oldest institution.

There were only six University departments up to 1961 in India and the number went up to 25 by 1981. Since then there has been a phenomenal expansion with another 25 departments coming up. Not withstanding the quality and availability of resources, more and more Universities are clamouring for a journalism department. According to a University Grants Commission (UGC) report, there has been "an explosion of Journalism education in the country" (1). Besides Universities, training in journalism and the allied areas is also imparted in other institutions, Government and private.

Set up in 1941, the Department of Journalism, Punjab University, Lahore, is the oldest. However, it began functioning in a systematic way only in the 1950s. Later, departments were set up in Karachi and Sind. Initially these departments offered a Diploma Programme which has since been upgraded to a Master's Programme. According to Sharif al Mujahid (2), there are at present eight Universities which offer degree/diploma courses in journalism/mass communication and four non academic training institutes.

In Sri Lanka the problem was identified in terms of equipment such as a printing press and a fully equipped communication laboratory. Therefore the Department has to depend on outside institutions such as newspapers, broadcasting and film units. The graduates often do not find regular employment in communication related institutions. Many of them have become language teachers in schools.

In India, the full time teaching faculty has been assessed by the alumni. It was found that qualifications were rated as good. However, in terms of knowledge, teaching ability and ability to impart practical training, the assessment was not encouraging.

In Pakistan, the lack of a practical orientation in the Universities has been identified as a major problem. Apart from the general conflict over the acceptance of a University programme for journalism, the problem is also related to the faculty. It has been recognised that Pakistan needs more academically trained and more media-experienced journalism teachers.

In addition to these problems, another important concern was inadequate library facilities at the Departmental and University level.

The books prescribed or recommended for study in the institutions have been classified into 10 subject categories. In the case of Sri Lanka and Pakistan the books could not be identified as the syllabus and course outlines do not contain the list of books recommended or used. However, during the field visit to Sri Lanka, faculty members and others associated with training mentioned that they use British and US books on the subject and prepare class notes for subsequent translation into Sinhala while providing instruction. Local examples were used to substantiate the main points. Lack of access to books has been identified as a problem in Pakistan. The need for indigenous books in Pakistan has been identified particularly in the subject areas of media in the Third World; press laws; the geopolitics of information; the press in Muslim countries.

The survey had to depend on the list of books included in the syllabus in India, Bangladesh and Nepal for analysis. However, mere listing of books is no guarantee that either these books are available or accessible to the staff and, particularly, students. It was found that very few departments had their own library and in all cases dependence on the University library was very high. The team felt that the term "textbook" can be misleading as the books listed are not text books in the real sense, but only study materials. Further, the books and the syllabus are interrelated. Therefore, any long-term plan based on this survey should also include a critical examination of the syllabus.

A bibliography of books used in the institutions surveyed has been compiled and is available with the authors. An annotated bibliography of some 100 selected, commonly used books is attached to this report as Appendix I.

The survey revealed that Introduction to Communication and Broadcasting are well covered. Important subjects such as Development Communication, Communication Research and Mass Media Management are inadequate. The books in the various subject areas have been further classified into ten major course areas identified at the preliminary stages of the IAMCR/IPDC project. Tables 2, 3 and 4 provide a total picture of the situation.

The relevance of the books was assessed by identifying the region on which the book was based. It was found that 49 % of all the books were region-related and 30 % were written by authors from the region. Less that 6 % were published in local languages.

It is interesting to note that in a crucial area such as Communication and Development, as much as 92 % of the books were region-related. However, it is important to point out that the theoretical basis and models on which these books are based are mainly Western. Modernization, behavioural and extension paradigms seemed to dominate. It is imperative that the concept of region-related books be examined critically with a view to assessing the strength of these books to help the formulation of communication policies relevant to the development strategies in the region.

Regarding the place of publication, more than 60 % of the books were published in North America and about 30 % in the SAARC region. The regional publications concentrated on Media History, Media Law and Ethics and Policies. Except for these areas, the dependence on North America is very high in all the other areas. For example in Communication Theory and Research, as many as 91 % of the books were published in North America.

The scant importance attached to a proper citation of books in all the institutions surveyed posed severe problems for the team to determine the date of publication of many books (52 %). This situation reflects an approach to training where even the basic course outlines and syllabi are not prepared properly. To improve this situation, the researchers are seeking the help of a Library and Information Science Department to provide complete citation of their sources, which is a time consuming process and can be done only over a period of a few months. Despite the lack of information in this regard on many books, it can be stated that their date of publication in many cases is prior to 1970 when basic outlines were prepared.

The faculty members, without exception, in the institutions surveyed were enthusiastic in participating in a textbook production project. They all recognised the urgency of having indigenous books in different areas. Audio-visual techniques and Broadcasting, Advertising, Public Relations, Communication Theory and Research were listed as priority areas followed by Rural Communication/Development, Newspaper Management and Graphic Arts. Table 5 provides a distribution of the titles suggested in the ten major subject areas.

The use of local languages has been stressed and a few have suggested translation of good books in English into various languages. Emphasis on language was strongest in Sri Lanka (Sinhalese), Nepal (Nepali), Bangladesh (Bengali) and Pakistan (Urdu). In India the problem is not acute as the medium of instruction in all the Institutions was English.

Training for faculty and resource persons to produce textbooks has been recognised by the team, though not explicitly stated by the faculty in different institutions.

Journalism/communication education in SAARC has a history of more than fifty years. Yet the quality of education leaves much to be desired. The problem of a healthy balance between theory and practice is germane. Lack of practical facilities in schools and overemphasis on theory has reinforced the disenchantment of the media towards training in Universities and has also belied the expectations of students. To what extent the promotion of indigenous textbooks is really going to alleviate the situation is a significant question that needs attention.

The proliferation of Universities offering journalism/communication in the region has caused concern about the quality of training in terms of supportive facilities where the use of textbooks or reference books plays an important role.

This study has revealed that books dealing with print media are well covered. Although there were many books that could be identified as region related, the theoretical and conceptual frameworks were, to a great extent, not rooted in the region. There was enthusiasm among the faculty to participate in the textbook project. However, whether they have the necessary training to produce books is debatable. The titles and subject areas for textbooks proposed by the institutions no doubt reflect their needs. Yet, guidelines, training and screening processes should be built into the execution of the project on a long term basis.

The survey revealed that though a list of books was recommended in each subject, their availability in the Department and/or University library was not very good. Despite the availability of a few titles in the bookshops, their prohibitive cost limited their availability to faculty and students alike. The overwhelming dependence on foreign titles in this subject is another dimension. It is in this context that the promotion of indigenous textbooks at affordable prices in local currency assumes significance.

Despite the fact that due to resource and time constraints only a few institutions were covered, a complete picture has been provided with the help of secondary data and the experience of the team members. The recommendations are as follows:

Beginning with the assumption that it might be possible to commission the writing of about 15 books in the SAARC region in the first instance, the following break-up among five countries is proposed:

This allocation has been proposed keeping in mind the number of institutions offering communication courses in each country and also the proposals for book writing which have been in the countries surveyed. The proposals for textbooks in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Pakistan are:

NOTES