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Gender Mainstreaming in Journalism Education: Achieving Equality in Media

The University of Malawi is striving for gender equality by incorporating gender and child rights in its journalism curriculum. Through policy advocacy, research support, and student engagement, the program aims to create a more inclusive media landscape. Join us in this endeavor NOW and beyond 2015!

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Gender Mainstreaming in Journalism Education: Achieving Equality in Media

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  1. THE SADC GENDER PROTOCOL SUMMIT 2015 Botswana, Tlotlo Hotel , 11 August 2015, Maclan Kanyang’wa Department of Journalism and Media Studies UNIVERSITY OF MALAWI-THE POLYTECHNIC NOW AND POST 2015 ! YES WE MUST

  2. SYNOPSIS August 2010 • The Department of Journalism and Media Studies (JMS) at The Polytechnic (UNIMA) participates in the GIME Southern Africa (GIME) audit which reveals that • there are no institutional policies, guidelines or procedures for incorporating gender into curriculum or course content in our system. • There are no stand alone policies on sexual harassment • Very little research focussing on gender • Men are teachers females are students 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA NOW AND POST 2015 ! YES WE MUST

  3. SYNOPSISAugust 2015 • Revised curriculum with gender and child rights as rationale for review • UNIMA forms a gender policy task force • Digital resource base is created on diversity issues • Gender and Media research profile 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA NOW AND POST 2015 ! YES WE MUST

  4. OBJECTIVES • To mainstream gender into the programme document (syllabus) at the next curriculum review. • (that opportunity came 2014/15) • Lobby for the development of a stand alone gender policy • To increase the involvement of female students/journalists in curriculum activities. • To match the number of male to female lecturers at the earliest opportunity. 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA NOW AND POST 2015 ! YES WE MUST

  5. OBJECTIVES • To set an agenda for gender and media research within the department • To build a resource base to support students and staff research on gender and media related subjects • Increase the critical mass of practicing journalists who are gender-aware • Intervene in national women empowerment programmes through leadership 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA NOW AND POST 2015 ! YES WE MUST

  6. KEY ACTIVITIES • Establishing entry points for gender in the BAJ curriculum. This workshop took place in January 2011 • Development of course outlines with gender content (January 2011) • Development of a Departmental Monitoring and Evaluation Framework with Gender specific targets for staff (teaching and assessment)and students activities (outreach and club programmes) (2014) • Review of the curriculum to include gender specific content in the curriculum document (October 2014) NOW AND POST 2015 ! YES WE MUST

  7. KEY ACTIVITIES • Establishment of a digital library to support teaching with links to diverse material on gender • Student research activities on Gender and the Media. The 2014/15 final year class had 15 of the 36 students researching a gender topic. These students were sponsored by the Malawi Human Rights Resource Centre • The 2014/15 departmental plan of activities had weekly student activities with child rights and gender among other cross cutting issues among the indicators and targets NOW AND POST 2015 ! YES WE MUST

  8. RESOURCE ALLOCATIONS NOW AND POST 2015 ! YES WE MUST 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

  9. CHALLENGES • Bureaucracy as a result of the federal nature of the university leading to slow processes in curriculum approvals and implementation • Altitude among some members-at times even female members of staff towards implementation • Irregular calendars leading to loss of momentum • Competing interests piling pressure on the curriculum • Overcome by diversifying programme offering NOW AND POST 2015 ! YES WE MUST

  10. RESULTS • Changes in attitudes • Increased number of faculty members attending review workshops • More students working on gender topics for research • More students media practice focussing on gender and diversity issues • Management willingness to come up with a gender policy NOW AND POST 2015 ! YES WE MUST

  11. RESULTS • Curriculum and course content • PREAMBLE FOR PROPOSED REVIEW OF THE BAJ CURRICULUM • The Faculty of Education and Media Studies proposes a revised curriculum for the Bachelor of Arts in Journalism programme to fulfill University of Malawi requirements for periodic review of all programmes. The proposed review seeks to integrate and mainstream gender and child rights in the curriculum. The proposed review maintains the modular curriculum approved by senate in 2010. There are no changes in the modules to be delivered throughout the programme except for the incorporation of gender and child rights course content. The revised programme allows for multiple-entry and multiple--exist points, creates opportunity for student internship whilst allowing the students to engage in specialized projects and an end of programme dissertation. This is in conformity with regional and international journalism education. NOW AND POST 2015 ! YES WE MUST

  12. RESULTS • Study materials • The literature produced by Gender Links has been utilised in Modules where gender is mainstreamed. • For example some recommended material in Media Criticism Module (fourth year, first semester: • Morna, C and Ndlovu (2008 eds, Gender and Tabloids in Southern Africa. Gender Links: Johannesburg • Gender Links (Ed) Watching the Watchdogs. A gender and media literacy toolkit for Southern Africa. • SAMSCO and Gender links (Nd) Picture out lives, Gender and Images in Southern Africa. A Manual for trainers • Lind, A. (2004), Race, Gender, Media considering Diversity Across Audiences. Allyn and Bacon: Boston • Gender Links, 2009, Glass ceilings women and men Southern Africa media Johannesburg. NOW AND POST 2015 ! YES WE MUST

  13. RESULTS • Study materials NOW AND POST 2015 ! YES WE MUST

  14. RESULTS • Research projects by students (15 out of the 36 final year students researching a gender topic) • Representation of women in stories on gender based violence in Malawian daily papers • Malawi media coverage of Millennium Development Goal no 2 (universal primary) education • Investigating the attitudes of creative people in advertising on stereotypical portrayal of women • The role of communication messages in promoting girls education • Portrayal of Women Parliamentary Candidates by the Malawi Daily Newspapers During the 2014 Tripartite Elections • Media coverage of unsafe abortion • The effectiveness of radio in promoting the use and access to female condoms • Daily newspaper coverage of abuse of girls • The portrayal of gender based violence in nkhanizammaboma news programme on Malawi Broadcasting Corporation • How women use radio. A uses and gratification approach on ZokondaAmayiradio programme on MBC • Media coverage of gender based violence • Homosexuality in the Malawi media • Gender main streaming in private commercial radio stations in Malawi • Gender in balance and sports coverage in the Malawi Media • Gender and news sources in the Malawi Media NOW AND POST 2015 ! YES WE MUST

  15. RESULTS • Media practise NOW AND POST 2015 ! YES WE MUST

  16. RESULTS • Assessments NOW AND POST 2015 ! YES WE MUST

  17. RESULTS • Changes at the work place • Views of curriculum review and workshop participants • Faculty members should lead by example by being sensitive when delivering the curriculum ie minding their use of language in the classroom • There is need for college sensitization by organising similar workshops targeting lecturers at college level • Staff members should do more research on gender • To encourage student research on gender topics NOW AND POST 2015 ! YES WE MUST

  18. RESULTS • Capacity building NOW AND POST 2015 ! YES WE MUST

  19. RESULTS • Public participation NOW AND POST 2015 ! YES WE MUST

  20. RESULTS • Changes at a policy level • Development of Unima gender policy progress report • @This report serves to inform the University of Malawi and its partners of the progress made on the development of a gender policy for UNIMA for the period January – May 2015. • During this period some of the key objectives were successfully met. Focus was on the gender audit of UNIMA or the situational analysis of its internal and external gender environment. Development of research tools and training across the four colleges was another important focus of this reporting period. All the four Colleges have put systems in place that will contribute to the successful development of the policy. A total of 80 staff and research assistants were trained on gender in higher education. [EXTRACT] NOW AND POST 2015 ! YES WE MUST

  21. LESSON LEARNED AND INNOVATION • There is need to build strong networks and partnerships for sustainability • Working with MHRRC has helped to speed up processes • Lawi Link has enhance media practice • Modern technology can be used as an effective means for institutionalising gender • Availability of tools for media practice and reference material for learning and research • Constant and continuous dialogue is crucial to effective implementation of a curriculum with gender content • Being able to spearhead gender policy formulation processes NOW AND POST 2015 ! YES WE MUST

  22. LEARNING AND SHARING WITH OTHER ORGANISATIONS • We are working with the MHRRC • We met at the GEM summit in 2010 agreeing to collaborate • Our curriculum review has also been informed by lessons from the Polytechnic of Namibia’s Gender in Entry Level Journalism (Made’s Entry point] • Our sister departments such as the Department of Language and Communication have attended our media literacy and training courses. • We have also been invited to present in career conferences for girls in Blantyre NOW AND POST 2015 ! YES WE MUST

  23. SUSTAINABILITY AND REPLICATION • There is need to foster collaboration with partner institutions • Institutions need to have identifiable gender champions • These can be further trained to expert level (a masters qualification or phd in the field • We need to lobby for a gender specific budget on the consolidated budget? • Review the university budget to assess its responsiveness to gender issues • To cascade to other institutions we need to write proposals to source funds to aid in curriculum reviews for other institutions especially private universities NOW AND POST 2015 ! YES WE MUST

  24. KEY PRIORITIES FOR 2015-2016 • Enhance research among staff members • Consolidate gains in the digital library • Consolidate gains in students research ? • Speed up the processes on the development of the gender policy • Review the implementation of the revised curriculum in line with monitoring tools and targets NOW AND POST 2015 ! YES WE MUST

  25. KEY PRIORITIES FOR 2015-2016 THANK YOU NOW AND POST 2015 ! YES WE MUST

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