The Department of Media Studies and Journalism at ULAB and DW Akademie jointly organized the conference entitled “Communication and Journalism Educators Network (CJEN) Bangladesh Fifth Networking Conference 2022” on 13 and 14 May 2022. 67 communication and journalism educators along with 20 students from 21 different universities registered for the event.
ULAB Vice-Chancellor Professor Imran Rahman inaugurated the event. In his inaugural speech, he said the authorities of the university had a strong commitment to promoting media in the country. So, the Media Studies and Journalism Department always try to prepare its graduates by updating its courses and curriculum in consultation with stakeholders from the media industry on regular basis.
Addressing the session, MSJ Department Head Professor Jude William Genilo said the media and journalism education institutions must think critically about their roles and know their strengths and weaknesses today.
“We at the ULAB try to prepare our graduates who are equipped with knowledge and skills needed in their real-life professional work,” he added.
In the plenary session entitled “What is wrong with journalism education in Bangladesh”, Professor Jude called for building a strong network among media and journalism educators in the country to share experiences, and expertise, and to enhance research and scholarships in the field.
In the session, ULAB MSJ Assistant Professor Dr. Abdul Kabil Khan presented findings of research on “What I wish my faculty would do and not do for my career development.”
In another plenary session, a roundtable discussion titled “The future of media industry- new approaches and business models” was held.
Bangla daily Somoyer Alo Executive Editor Harun Ur Rashid, Jamuna TV Special Correspondent Mohsin Ul Hakim, and online news portal Bangladesh Times’ lead mobile journalist took part in the discussion moderated by MSJ department senior lecture Nandita Tabassum Khan.
Deutsche Welle (DW) Media Services GmbH Program Manager Dr. Esther Dorn-Fellermann, and DW Akademie Program Director in Bangladesh Priya Esselborn also attended the event.
In the plenary session on the second day, Dr. James Gomez, Regional Director, Asia Centre, Thailand, presented a keynote on ‘Media and Journalism Schools: Best Practices, Lessons Learned’.
Assistant Professor of the Department of Media Studies and Journalism at ULAB and Convener of the conference Dr. Sarkar Barbaq Quarmal disclosed the research findings on ‘Media and Journalism Education: Challenges Ahead, Needed Response’.
Both of them recognized the importance of networking and ways to prepare for a new industry environment. The session was moderated by Aminul Islam, Lecturer at the Department of Media Studies and Journalism, ULAB.
A question-answer session was held after the presentation, according to a statement.
Later, a student workshop on Mobile-first Journalism: Creating Native Content for Social Media Platforms took place. The instructors were Dr. Abdul Kabil Khan, Assistant Professor, Department of Media Studies and Journalism, ULAB, and Rajib Nandy, Assistant Professor, Department of Communication and Journalism, University of Chittagong.
At the closing speech, Dr. Esther Dorn-Fellermann, conference program manager, Deutsche Welle – Media Services GmbH, said, “We at DW Akademie are happy to support you in this. We create the platform for exchange, we see ourselves as a catalyst.”
Professor Jude William Genilo, Head of the Department, Media Studies and Journalism, ULAB, and Chairman, CJEN Bangladesh Fifth Networking Conference 2022 said, “May CJEN keep us connected and make our community stronger…”
The two-day conference ended with a vote of thanks to the organizers, volunteers, and the participants by Nandita Tabassum Khan, Senior Lecturer, Media Studies and Journalism, ULAB. Khulna University will host the next CJEN Bangladesh in 2023.