Fifth CJEN Bangladesh Networking Conference held at ULAB

The Department of Media Studies and Journalism at University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) organized the conference titled, “Communication and Journalism Educators Network (CJEN) Bangladesh Fifth Networking Conference 2022” on 13 and 14 May 2022, where 67 educators and 20 students from different universities in the country participated.

Professor Imran Rahman, ULAB Vice-Chancellor, in his opening speech  said the authorities of the university had a strong commitment to promoting media in the country. So, the Media Studies and Journalism Department (MSJ) always tries to prepare its graduates by updating its courses and curriculum in consultation with stakeholders from the media industry on regular basis.

Addressing the session, Professor Jude William Genilo, MSJ Department Head, said the media and journalism education institutions must think critically about their roles and know their strengths and weaknesses.

“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.

Journalists participated in the discussion, namely, Harun Ur Rashid, Executive Editor of Bangla daily Somoyer Alo; and Mohsin Ul Hakim, Jamuna TV Special Correspondent and Bangladesh Times online journalist. It was moderated by MSJ  senior lecturer Nandita Tabassum Khan.

Dr. Esther Dorn-Fellermann, Deutsche Welle (DW) Media Services GmbH Program Manager, and Priya Esselborn, DW Akademie Program Director in Bangladesh, also attended the event.

On the second day, Dr. James Gomez, Regional Director, Asia Centre, Thailand, presented a keynote on “Media and Journalism Schools: Best Practices, Lessons Learned.” Dr. Sarkar Barbaq Quarmal MSJ Assistant Professor and Convener of the conference, 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, MSJ Lecturer.

Later, a student workshop on Mobile-first Journalism: Creating Native Content for Social Media Platforms took place. The instructors were Dr. Abdul Kabil Khan, MSJ Assistant Professor,  and Rajib Nandy, MSJ  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.”

The two-day conference ended with a vote of thanks to the organizers, volunteers, and the participants by Nandita Tabassum Khan, MSJ Senior Lecturer. Khulna University will host the next CJEN Bangladesh in 2024.

Earlier, on 11 March 2020, ULAB and DW Akademie held a pre-CJEN Conference with the theme: “Looking Back, Moving Forward.”  The keynote speaker of the event was Ramon Tuazon, Secretary General of the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC).