Media Council of Kenya (MCK) on Thursday unveiled new curriculum and accreditation guidelines for middle level colleges offering Diploma certificates in media training.
The curriculum and accreditation guidelines will start being implemented in January next year with the first examination to be administered by the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) set for July next year.
The two documents were formulated with the support of the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) and the Technical Vocational Education Training Authority (TVETA) and have been approved by KNEC.
Speaking at a Nairobi hotel during the launch, MCK Chief Executive Officer Dr Haron Mwangi called on middle level colleges to comply with the provisions of the curriculum and accreditation guidelines saying they are not meant to penalize them but facilitate them to produce competent graduates.
“The idea is not to close down the colleges (which offer low quality training) but to encourage them to comply,” said Mwangi.
However, he said those unable to observe the laid down standards will have no choice but to shut down as the curriculum and accreditation guidelines will be followed to the letter. He said the two documents which will be reviewed after every three years were packaged with the input of various stakeholders and are tailored to meet the needs of the industry.
Mwangi said the Council decided to come up with the two-and-half year curriculum and accreditation guidelines after media industry players and Kenyans in general complained of low quality training in middle level colleges which claim to be registered by the Ministry of Education Science and Technology through TVETA to offer media related courses.
The Media Council CEO accused some of the media colleges of fleecing unsuspecting parents who pay hefty amounts in fees for their children only for them to come out half-baked and unqualified to be absolved by the media industry.
He said disparity in training standards in middle level colleges has seen some offer diploma program lasting only six months with no room for internship for practical training while for others it takes three months with a three-month internship in a refutable media house.
Mwangi said such colleges have no facilities and qualified faculty to train and coach students into competent and productive young professionals who can be relied on in the industry.
He said the new curriculum emphasizes on availability of adequate facilities and qualified teaching staff before a middle-level training college is accredited to offer a Diploma programme in media related course. He said universities offering Diploma programmes in media related course will be at liberty to use the MCK curriculum.
Mwangi urged middle level colleges offering broadcast journalism to brace themselves to acquire cameras, recording and editing suites among other vital facilities or risk being shut down in a matter of time.
He said the Council will soon officially communicate to the over 140 middle level colleges spread across the country to do a self-assessment based on the accreditation inspection criteria in readiness of a formal inspection by team appointed by the MCK in January next year.
The MCK CEO said the curriculum will provide for smooth career progression for Diploma graduates who want to pursue higher education as universities have endorsed it. Unlike the current situation where middle level colleges are enrolling students at low KCSE grades, the curriculum sets C- (Minus) aggregate score as the minimum qualification with good grades in English and Kiswahili languages.
The curriculum and the accreditation guidelines were formulated by a team lead by Prof. Murej Mak’Ochieng Multimedia University’s Dean, Faculty of Media and Communication.
Mwangi said the MCK is in discussion with the Commission of University Education (CUE) with the view of introducing a standard curriculum for undergraduate and post graduate training in media-related courses.
The launch of the curriculum and accreditation guidelines was attended by among others the MCK Board members led by Chairman Charles Kerich, veteran journalists and media educators and trainers.
Kerich said is not only setting standards in media training but also putting in place measures to weed out quacks who are out to soil the refutation on journalists.
He said some unscrupulous individuals who are not accredited by the Council have been moving around fleecing unsuspecting news sources. Kerich said the Council will work closely with duly accredited journalists to have the masqueraders arrested and brought to book.
The Board chairman also said the Council has set up a team to identify draconian media laws like criminal libel and recommend for their repeal.