Media Agency launches new journalism training curriculum

The two-and-a-half-year curriculum for diploma level training is meant to standardise training and ensure quality, according to Media Council of Kenya (MCK). PHOTO: COURTESY

A media regulatory agency has developed a new curriculum to streamline journalism training.

The two-and-a-half-year curriculum for diploma level training is meant to standardise training and ensure quality, according to Media Council of Kenya (MCK).

The document is divided into three sections; broadcast, print and online journalism.

MCK Chief Executive Officer Haron Mwangi said the move is aimed at eradicating disparities of duration and quality across colleges.

"A number of universities and colleges offering journalism and media studies in Kenya have been complaining about the quality and relevance of some courses. In some colleges, the diploma course takes three years and only six months in others.

 There has not been a standard training curriculum for journalists in Kenyan middle level colleges. It is because of these gaps that we formed a team in 2009 to develop a curriculum for middle level colleges," said Mwangi.

He said the curriculum, developed by a team of media experts and scholars, had since received a nod from the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, which approved it in 2015 after reviewing it.

"Editors have raised issues regarding the skills imparted, standards in the institutions and the credibility of the courses. This is now set to change for the better. With this curriculum in place, it means learners pursuing any of the three diplomas will spend same duration in college and receive same quality," said Mwangi.

At the same time, the team developed guidelines for vetting and accrediting middle level colleges offering journalism courses. Thus, the team will embark on inspecting journalism colleges across the country to ensure they have required facilities and equipment for training.

"We have had mushrooming of colleges which have been collecting a lot of money from Kenyans to train them in journalism yet they lack requisite facilities. MCK will run an advert asking the colleges to do self-assessment as per the inspection," said MCK chairman Charles Kerich.

He added: "The team will work with Commission of University Education to verify information given in the self-assessment form. The team will not close the institution but they will give them time to set up the required facilities and equipment."