By AJENda correspondent
There are only a few days left if you would like to apply for a small grant from Unesco to strengthen your journalism teaching programme. The deadline for proposals for projects from journalism schools in Africa is July 10. You can access information about this opportunity here: https://www.unesco.org/en/international-programme-development-communication/journalism-education/journalism-education-africa
Feliphe Schiarolli via Unsplash
To participate, schools need to complete a self-assessment survey first and base their proposal on the survey results. The self-assessment was developed through a series of five regional consultations with journalism educators across the continent, involving just over 100 educators, trainers and journalists.
From these consultations criteria for excellence in journalism education in Africa were developed, which included emphasising the importance of human rights in journalism education, and the outreach activities of journalism schools, who should become leaders in their country’s media environments.
Through the call, Unesco and the project’s implementing partners, the Wits Centre for Journalism and the Rhodes School of Journalism and Media Studies, will award 10 small grants of up to USD16,000 each. Projects will be implemented over a 7-8 month period, ending 31 March 2024.
The survey and proposal form are also available in Arabic, French and Portuguese. If you need the documents in these languages, please email the project co-ordinator, Alan Finlay, at Alan.Finlay@wits.ac.za
Finlay said the proposals might involve integrating new UNESCO curriculum resources on fake news and disinformation, migration, terrorism and climate change, into their programmes, or deepening links between universities and the media industry, he added.
Institutions can also propose activities for using key international days like World Press Freedom Day to mobilise partnership, devise innovative teaching methodologies adapted to challenges identified in Africa, or take steps towards building a community of practice in African journalism education.
According to Finlay, the project builds upon an earlier initiative supported by Unesco in 2007, when 12 journalism schools were identified as centres of excellence in journalism education based on a set of criteria developed at the time.
