Woes of media studies

Cut-offs are soaring, but students are leaving no stone unturned to get admission into JMC courses.

The media boom has led to mushrooming of educational institutes that promise to cater to the 'rising demand for journalists'. At a time when DU cut-offs are high, students are leaving no stone unturned to get a mass communication or journalism course for an edge over others.

Even as the question of market-driven need giving rise to media institutes is being debated there seems to be a herd mentality that believes in getting a journalism degree at all costs.

At the Indraprastha University, there are seven self-financing affiliated institutes - Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies (VIPS), Madhubala Institute of Communication and Electronic Media, Kathuri Ram College of Higher Education, Lalitha Devi Institute of Management and Sciences, Gitaratan International Business School, Tecnica Institute of Advanced Studies and JICD - for 435 students.

The fee ranges from Rs 42,000 to Rs 54,000 per year and the course includes print media, electronic media, public relations, advertising and filmmaking. The students are required to do a compulsory internship but many allege that institutes are rarely of help.

"Though we study in English, we have been provided internships in vernacular newspapers. So, it is better to look for internships on our own," said a student of JICD. The institute maintain that they offer placements to 90 per cent of the students.

"Though we provide placements to most students, it is not our responsibility to ensure 100 per cent placement," said Prof Om Gupta, Dean, JICD. Besides finding internships, faculty and poorly developed infrastructure too seems to be a problem.

Many students complain that the permanent faculty have no experience and they survive on guest lectures in the college.

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