Community Radio Consultation organised in Islamabad,Pakistan
Community Radio Consultation organised in Islamabad
New Delhi, May 26, 2015: Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), Islamabad in collaboration with Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA), New Delhi and Pakistan Community Media Network organised the ‘National Consultation on Community Radio for Learning’ in Islamabad, Pakistan on May 25, 2015.
Vice Chancellor, AIOU Prof. Shahid Siddiqui while chairing the preliminary session of the consultation announced that the University will strengthen its media support for its students through enhanced FM radio network. The media, he said, has emerged as most powerful social institutions and the AIOU wishes to take full benefit of it.
There were more than 45 academicians, media experts, social workers and broadcasters participated in the consultation representing different organisations like Radio Pakistan, China Radio International, Community Media Pakistan, FM-100 Islamabad, DIL FM, Health Communication Resources (HCR), UNESCO, UNICEF, DFID, BRITISH COUNCIL, Educational Broadcasters’ Forum (EBF) Pakistan etc.
Dr. Ankuran Dutta, Programme Officer, CEMCA took part in the event from New Delhi through video conferencing sharing his knowledge and experiences on the role of community radio for societal development. He also elaborated how community media or community radio can reach the last person a community resulting in overall development of a society in a country like Pakistan. Instead of top down model of knowledge dissemination, he argued for the co-learning through medium like community radio. The consultation was also addressed by Dr. Syed Abdul Siraj, Chairman, Department of Mass Communication; Dr. Mukhtar Hussain Tarlpur, Director, Institute of Educational Technology, Mr. Masoodul Hasan Akhtar, Executive Director, Pakistan Community Media Network. Mr. Akhtar, in his address said, “I am personally and on behalf of Community Media Network thankful to CEMCA for their technical support which make it possible to take initiative on community media in Pakistan on small scale.” He also mentioned about the plan of the network to approach and share concept among the college/university students and commercial radios to promote the concept of Community Media and its benefits.
Mr. Zahid Majeed, Director, International Collaboration & Exchange Office, AIOU, Pakistan said, “Community Radio is a new concept in Pakistan, thanks to CEMCA, New Delhi for introducing it in AIOU and among stakeholders of Radio Community. It was my honor to coordinate the event and pleased to say that a good number of radio community stakeholders participated in the ‘National Consultation on Community Radio’ arranged by AIOU in-collaboration with CEMCA. During the deliberation AIOU and other stakeholders gave their commitments to promote Community Radio in Pakistan. The Government of Pakistan and the AIOU attached great importance to promotion of Community Radio for education, health, peace, religious harmony as well as to protect our culture, traditions and values. Hope this collaboration will go a long for achieving such targets”.
The Vice Chancellor in his address underlined the importance of radio broadcasting in educational pursuits and reformation of the society. He said, the radio has been most fascinating medium in providing information and entertainment to the people. Media, he said has surpassed all social and education institutions, because of its easy accessibility and effective approach for the masses. The consultation was organised by International collaboration and Exchange office and Institute of Educational Technology of the Allama Iqbal Open University in collaboration with Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA) New Delhi and Pakistan Community Media Network.
