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Sept. 22, 2022

OWN CORRESPONDENT

3 min read

NUL finally offers journalism qualifications

NUL finally offers journalism qualifications

NUL Pro-Vice Chancellor, Professor Kananelo Mosito

Story highlights

    The long-waited programme was initially supposed to have started in August 2019
    Students will be encouraged to place their work in national and international context

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SOME three years after the U.S government pledged an over M750 000 grant coupled with other technical support to develop and introduce a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Media Studies at the National University of Lesotho (NUL), the programme will finally be offered this academic year.

The long-waited programme was initially supposed to have started in August 2019.
Information from the university’s faculty of humanities shows that the programme is offered in collaboration with the Institute of Extra Mural Studies (IEMS), and applications for interested candidates are open until September 25.

The aim of the programme, the faculty notes is to cultivate a diverse group of committed change-makers within a stimulating environment, thus enabling them to explore, discover, develop and extend their individual abilities.
It says students will be encouraged to place their work in national and international context, while demonstrating particularly at final level, the capacity to combine and integrate apparent disparate components in order to define their individual direction.

At the conclusion of the programme, the faculty shows that students will be expected to have acquired theoretical and practical skills appropriate to commercial, industrial and postgraduate outcomes.
The programme, it notes is aimed at full time students, adding that the expected and recommended duration of study is four years, which may however, be reduced if a student obtains credits for sufficient prior learning.
In January this year, the NUL Pro-Vice Chancellor Professor Kananelo Mosito made an assurance that the programme would kick start during the academic year 2022/23.

“As the university, we have long finalised whatever needs to be done,” he said.

Prof Mosito said in Lesotho especially in the higher education component, before programmes are introduced, they need to be accredited thus run through structures which among others have to be approved by the NUL Senate.

After going through all structures, he said such programmes are handed over to the Council on Higher Education (CHE) before their eventual signature.

Commenting on the project, the former U.S ambassador to Lesotho, Rebecca Gonzales had said by fostering a free press, citizens were more informed, active and engaged in political decision-making.

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Citizens, she said could better hold their governments accountable and enhance shared principles of functional, democratic society.
According to her, freedom of expression and freedom of information are enshrined as basic human rights in the African Charter of Human and People's Rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations (UN) in 1948.
She said up and coming journalists need proper training as well as solid foundation in ethical journalism, adding that when they enter the workforce, they need to be in possession of critical thinking skills to research, investigate, analyse and distil information in order to advance ideals of transparency, accountability and journalistic integrity.
The proposed BA in Journalism and Media studies is a two major curriculum which prepares students for emerging market opportunities in media and related areas.

It is aimed at provision and acquisition of knowledge and development of skills in journalism and media industries during the four-year long period. - LeNA

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