Mass media day for schools

Mass Media Day is becoming a popular event in most schools with the advent of the introduction of communication studies as a social studies discipline. This columnist had the opportunity to participate in some of the Mass Media Day events at school level.

"Our students want to know more about the mass media functions at home and abroad. Please come and help us for we are setting aside a special day for that in an unconventional manner and we are in need of understanding the various aspects of the subject. Can you afford to have some time for a worthy cause in our school?" The voice of the teacher in charge of the mass media unit in a girl's school in Colombo.

"What do you hope to do on this day?" I asked.

Then she explained me the items she had scheduled with her students for the understanding of mass media scope and trends.

"In the first instance we are going to launch a school magazine devoted to media studies. Then we want to know from our invited guests basically about the aspects of print medium like the book, newspaper, periodicals and sound medium like radio and visual medium like the film, television and the impact of the same on our lives."

"But don't you think that this is going to be an unfathomable subject area that cannot be tackled within a few hours?"

"Yes we know," she said and added. "But we got to know something about this subject, specially the new trends in the field of mass media. As such, we want to line up people of various types especially the specialists in each field to explain us all about this in order to enlighten our children for a better level of education in social sciences."

On the specified day the event was in full swing. The enthusiastic young girls were seen busy with their various media items anticipating new knowledge on the media function. They had their own radio channel which they utilized for a special purpose of transmitting close circuit messages.

They were equipped with tele-cameras. They had also invited guests from various media channels and fellow students from nearby schools to make a colourful event. There were dances and song recitals. There were budding announcers, who took the event far more serious than one can imagine.

A dialogue ensued among themselves pertaining to the subject of Mass Media. Several short, but serious lectures followed in between the school items on topics such as language and communication, media and social ethics, the impact of films on the audience, the new trends in communication, the research areas in mass communication, globalisation, communication technology, creative communication, aspects of popular culture, writing for mass media channels and the place of the radio and tele play and concepts of public opinion, and opinion polls via mass media.

All in all, it was a role play and an exercise in interpersonal communication where the participants had many more questions to ask from the resource people. Some responses were high brow and needed clarification. It looked as if it was a never ending episode though it was confined to just half a day out of the school's time.

The teachers and students believed that there was a certain degree of change in the content and the format from the more conventional literary discussions and the literary day celebrations handed over the years as a part of the syllabus and formal part of the education with the end in view of passing the competitive examinations.

"We need to set apart one day of the year for mass media, in the way we do for other subjects like Science, Sinhala and English," said the principal of the school, elated by the procedure. But we are bound by certain regulations, as we are not given a free hand in these matters.

Though we like the Mass Media Day to be celebrated annually there are barriers like creating an awareness on the subject, because it should not resemble just another conventional concert or a stage item of entertainment, but a serious mannered communication process should take place with the right kind of people have to be selected and the right kind of discussions should follow."

Having participated in a Mass Media Day in an urban school, I felt that the message should also seep into other social sectors interlinking a multi-disciplined study into the aspects of communication where the teachers and students could be trained to understand the illusions and realities of mass media.

One good example is the illusory world of films where the spectator is made to enter more often into a world of fantasy.

The film studies could be taken seriously than it is done today. Cine clubs could be planned in order to help appreciate films and even to make films at school level. The need to appoint a media teacher will follow as time draws and activities gather momentum. The functions of such a teacher is to help the students to place him/her in the correct perspective with appreciative guidance.

The class room discussions on media aspects will evidently lead to a better climate of opinion on the function of mass media channels, may it be print, sound or visual.

The planning of wall newspapers have come to stay in some schools and universities as the main form of expression via literary activities. This could lead to various mini assignments on the subject kindling the interest in media studies in both theory and practice, which will plan the actual future of mass media in a country, the handing over the legacy to the coming generation.