Media school saddled with discontent

Old timers may call it "media Mecca" but all in not well with the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre (MCRC), Jamia Millia Islamia, if students are to be believed.

Old timers may call it "media Mecca" but all in not well with the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre (MCRC), Jamia Millia Islamia, if students are to be believed.

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On Saturday and Sunday, aspirants who appeared for entrance tests for various courses under the department, were handed out pamphlets by current and former students, outlining reasons why they shouldn't join the university.

The pamphlet states that many teachers don't take more than 20 classes every year and that the quality of teaching has also gone down over the years.

The pamphlets were distributed by those protesting against the university's decision to debar them from taking final exams due to low attendance.

"Many members of the faculty are waiting for disqualification as they do not have the requisite qualifications. The placements have been very poor in the last few years. Good equipment is inaccessible to students and has been locked up," the pamphlet reads.

The literature was distributed among the aspirants before and after they appeared for their entrance test. MCRC is the flagship department of the university, with their postgraduate degree in mass communication being one of the most sought-after in the country.

"It certainly bothers me. MCRC was my first choice but now I will have to find out how good it really is. I have not decided to drop the idea of joining but I will contact current students to find out the real picture," said Ketaki Misra, an aspirant.

The letter was also passed around as curiosity was high among the aspirants. "I got the pamphlet from a friend.

I can't decide what to do by relying on them alone but if I get through I'll certainly ask questions before joining," said Gunjan Jhunjhunwala, another aspirant.

University authorities, however, said that students on strike are just trying to create a bad image because they are not being allowed to sit for exams.

"I think no one needs to vouch for the quality of students that MCRC produces. Their work speaks for them. The context of these pamphlets is the ongoing strike and that is why they should not be taken seriously," said Simi Malhotra, spokesperson, Jamia Millia Islamia.