Integrated Agri Journalism Course at SAU

M Zahidul Haque

M Zahidul Haque

JOURNALISM not only informs people but also makes them to think and talk. It helps increasing farmer’s consciousness in decision-making and to do the right thing at the right time. A few months back, this writer wrote to this newspaper an article highlighting the importance for a separate Agricultural Journalism course at post-graduate level in Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SAU), Dhaka and other agricultural universities of the country.

In this digital age, electronic agriculture (e-agriculture) has already got popularity among the farmers. Farmers get agricultural and marketing plus other extension information through e-agriculture. The messages/contents of e-agriculture communication are being produced and transmitted by Agricultural Journalism professionals via smart phones and other mobile communication devices. Agricultural information is vital to raising agricultural productivity; agricultural journalism can contribute effectively to the expansion and practice of e-agriculture.

Meanwhile the Academic Council of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University in its 77 th meeting reviewed the report of the concerned committee for the preparation of course curriculum of some new subjects the SAU planned to introduce at post-graduate levels as per the demand of the time and stakeholders. The layout of three new courses at MS level namely, Food Safety, Agro metrology and Agricultural Journalism was tabled in the academic council meeting which was positively reviewed by the esteemed members of the council. In case of Agricultural Journalism course, the Academic Council expanded the present committee with Prof. Dr. Alok Kumar Paul, Dean Post-graduate Studies as Convener to improve the course curriculum by incorporating some more inter-related subjects into the MS Agricultural Journalism Course as per the suggestion put forwarded by the Academic Council Chairman and Vice Chancellor of SAU Prof. Dr. Md. Shahidur Rashid Bhuiyan.

Prof. Rashid opined that an agricultural journalism course at MS level should facilitate gathering of fundamental knowledge on certain related subjects of agricultural science, such as, livestock, fisheries, in addition to subjects related to journalism. This will obviously make the graduates equipped with knowledge in relevant domains for efficiently disseminating agricultural information.

In fact, in a post-COVID world, it has become essential to make higher education more practical and quick action oriented for instant application towards ensuring agricultural and rural development. At this end, integrated teaching and learning approach is more effective.

So, it is hoped that a separate MS degree program in Agri Journalism will soon be started at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University. 

(The writer is a Professor (on PRL) at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka)