AIJC President Ramon R. Tuazon attended the UNESCO International Expert Group Meeting on Media Education and Information Literacy at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on June 16 -18, 2008.

Twenty-three experts specializing in teacher training, curriculum development, media education and information literacy representing regions across the globe agreed on a framework for a model teacher training curriculum on media and information literacy. The competency-based curriculum aims to integrate media education and information literacy in the initial training of teachers at secondary school levels, and will be designed for application and adaptation worldwide, according to the needs of each country. The framework will assert the desired competencies of teachers in this field and will focus on raising the awareness of youths in using information and media.

Media education and information literacy are considered to be instrumental in the building of knowledge societies, and in the promotion of freedom of expression and the universal access to information. The consultation was convened to advise UNESCO on the appropriate processes by which educational materials can be developed, tested and introduced and tackled the issue of integrating education media and information literacy into already overburdened teacher training curricula.

According to Communication for Development Division Director W. Jayaweera, media education and information literacy remains priority areas of interest of UINESCO and that the preparation of a media education curriculum is a mandate earlier expressed by the UNESCO General Conference.

The three-day meeting also highlighted the inter-sectoral approach adopted by UNESCO in its programming. Director W. Jayaweera noted that all three divisions of the Communication and Information Sector are involved in the Project. These are Communication for Development, Freedom of Expression Division, and Information Society Division. The Education Sector is also involved in the initiative.

For the past 28 years, the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication (AIJC) Graduate School has been producing professionals who have made an impact in the communication and media sector. AIJC’s commitment continues as the first of  three terms of school year 2008-2009 welcomes new students who want to develop excellence in the field through continuing professional education.

One of these students is Milagros Valdez who teaches English and Reading in Grades 5 and 6 at a respected exclusive school in Marikina City. But beyond teaching children and shaping the mind and heart of the youth, Miles sees the crucial role of journalism in building critical thinkers.  She believes that a graduate study in Journalism will enable her to make an impact on public readers. Miles also writes for Kabayan, a newsletter published and distributed in Italy for OFWs. She has a column where she gives advice to OFWs who write in their problems, aside from writing regular news and features. Kabayan will soon be distributed to OFWs in other parts of the world.

“By then, I will be able to reach out to more people through Kabayan,” Miles said.

Imelda Balandra is an assistant communication specialist in an international organization. She decided to enroll at AIJC Graduate School after attending a seminar-workshop on Effective Writing.

“I was impressed at how AIJC prepared and conducted the training,” she said. Imelda believes that working on a Master’s Degree in Communication Management will enable her to be a more effective communication specialist.

“I look forward to be an expert in the field of communication planning or go into development work or maybe a  communication business,” Imelda said as she shared her plans for the future. 

Another new student, Moira Enerva, has been with the World Bank for the past five years as chief of Knowledge for Development  Center (KDC). Despite her demanding job which takes her all over Asia, Moira works doubly hard to pursue a Master’s Degree in Communication Management at AIJC. She believes that this will help her make a greater impact in the workplace.

For more information on the AIJC Graduate School, please click here.

AIJC is proud to welcome the book The Satellite Technology Guide for the 21st Century by Virgil S. Labrador, a former member of the AIJC staff.

The 200-page book  “explains in non-technical terms the basics of satellite communications technology and how it works.” It takes the reader on a trip to this billion dollar industry. It presents market prospects, shows trends and gives a comprehensive look into the future of the satellite communications industry.

The author was the head of AIJC’s  Professional Development Program and was a graduate student of the AIJC Graduate School. He completed his master’s degree in communications management at the Annenberg School of Communications of the University of Southern California.

The Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication leads the project “Continuities, Disruptions and New Trends – Megatrends 2: The Future of Filipino Children” as conceptualization and production goes on full gear.

Megatrends 2 aims to update the 1998 pioneering study  Megatrends: The Future of Filipino, published by the AIJC in cooperation with UNICEF. Megatrends 2 will also present new sectoral papers on megatrends affecting children. These papers cover International Affairs, Economics and Sustainable Development, Labor and Migration, Gender Issues, Cultural Diversity, Lifelong Learning, Education and Governance, Population, Digital Media, Food Security, Health and Nutrition, Energy, Justice and the Rule of Law, Social Transformation, Social Capital, and Political Governance.

Former Philippine President Fidel V. Ramos leads the team of expert-writers. He  will write a paper on International Affairs which will include regionalization and globalization and its implications on the future of the Filipino children. Other experts are former cabinet secretaries and senior government officials as well as respected economists and educators have accepted the AIJC invitation to write for Megatrends 2. They include former DOE secretary Dr. Francisco Viray, former DOLE secretary Dr. Nieves Confesor, former NEDA chief Dr. Cielito Habito, Mosaic Communications founder Dr. William Torres, and De La Salle University professor emeritus Dr. Wilfrido Villacorta, among others.

In a meeting held at Club Filipino on June 26, 2008, the expert-writers agreed to adopt Child 21 or the Philippine National Strategic Framework for Plan Development for Children 2000-2025. The experts noted that at the end of the Megatrends 2 Project, there could be an emerging distinct vision of the Filipino Child in 2020, based on individual papers and consensus.

Megatrends 2 will be distinct from the initial study considering that the results will be included in the work plan of appropriate government agencies and NGOs. It will also sustain futuristic research studies which only a few organizations are undertaking.

Megatrends 2 subscribes to a multidisciplinary approach founded on the different social sciences. In analyzing issues, indicators and trends, the writer-experts will draw from theories, methods, and tools of the different social sciences which will give an inter-sectoral perspective. The study will also link with similar efforts by various groups to revive the PREPF Study, a pioneering futuristic study of the Development Academy of the Philippines in the 1980s.