New DG plans face-lift for government media institute

The newly-appointed director-general of Indian Institute of Mass Communication, K.G. Suresh, speaks to Nitin Mahajan and Animesh Singh on his vision for the improvement of the premier media institute in the country. He speaks about the need for engagement with the media industry, evolving an industry-based curriculum and involving working journalists in providing hands-on expertise to his students.

Q. After being appointed as the youngest-ever director-general of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, what are your plans and vision for the institute What is the direction the institute would take under your leadership K.G.: During my tenure, I plan to restore the image of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication as the premiere media institute in the country not only in terms of teaching but also in the field of media research. It should emerge as an institution which establishes new benchmarks.

Often, this institute has been mistaken as just an educational institute which turns up mass media professionals (print and journalism, advertisement and public relations). However, we should know that IIMC also trains Indian Information Service officials, Armed Forces and Central paramilitary forces officers engaged with the public interface, as well as officials of the Central public sector undertakings. We also train foreign government officials in the art of mass communication. The IIMC has a vast library with over 25,000 books in its collection. These books will be digitised and made available to people so that the institute also evolves into a resource centre for researchers.

Q. What are your plans for improving the course curriculum at the institute Being the first serving professional to join the institute as a DG, how do you plan to improve your students' the career prospects K.G.: Over the past few years we have seen scores of private media institutes, several of them also affiliated to various media organisations, setting up shop across the country. More often than not, these end up ruining the students' future as they prepare them keeping in mind the requirements of one specific organisation. And once these students go out in the industry, they are found wanting in terms of adequate job skills. Our job at the IIMC would be to prepare students who would be able to adapt to the changing scenario in the industry. I want my students to be mentally and physically prepared to face the rigours of the industry. They should be updated about ongoing trends and happenings in the industry, so I feel that we need to engage with media professions and organisations for providing our students with a hands-on experience.

We plan to invite experts from fields like science, technology, industry, sports and other areas for regular interaction with students. We also plan to call in serving professionals as guest lecturers and plan to make regular trips to news organisations to provide our students with practical training.

In fact, being an industry insider myself, I have decided to take classes for IIMC students. This is perhaps the first time that a DG will take regular classes. For students' mental and physical fitness, I plan to use the space in the campus to conduct yoga sessions and set up infrastructure for indoor games like table tennis.

Q. While the IIMC campuses at New Delhi and Dhenkanal have been operating since long, four more centres at Aizawl, Amravati, Kottayam and Jammu were added during the UPA-2 regime. The new institutes are not understood to be operating up to the mark, with students intake at most of these institutes falling well below par. How do you plan to correct the trend K.G.: The four regional centres of IIMC were planned as part of an effort to extend media training facilities in the regions deprived of the same. The new centres were proposed to bridge this gap by training media professionals for the sector. It should be understood that the idea behind opening these regional centres was to promote training of regional students and preparing them for joining the mainstream and regional industry. Somehow, during the past few years, we forgot that these should have been promoted as centres for encouraging regional students to join the industry. We hope to make a turn around at our newly-established campuses soon.

I plan to visit each of these campuses soon and engage with the local industry there, in an effort to give a boost to these institutes. For this we need solid partnership and backing of the industry and we want them to give our students internships and the opportunity to work with them.

Q. Do you plan to introduce any new courses or review the existing curriculum How do you plan to go about making students' skills at par with industry needs K.G.: Yes, we definitely need to review our courses regularly. The IIMC needs to adapt and evolve courses that are required in the current industry environment. In a scenario of exponential digital and mobile-based growth, where even the government is using social media for public outreach, we definitely would need to introduce courses that focus on such aspects which have so far been neglected. While we need to prepare our students to be successful in their career, we would also like them to be motivated to try their hand at developmental journalism and to take up the cause of the underprivileged as media is the voice of the downtrodden.

In the current scenario where paid news, Radiagate and other such unethical practices have become commonplace, it is also important to impart work ethics to them. Further, there is a need to impart practical training to them. You must understand that while the media is regularly reporting farmer related issues, most of my students come from an urban background. Unless students visit such areas and get a first-hand feel of problems faced by the agricultural community, they won't be able to report on the issue with much depth.

Q. Do you have any plans for partnerships with other government institutes, like Film and Television Institute of India, or renowned universities to enhance the career prospects or imp-rove their perspective K.G.: Yes the IIMC will be seeking the expertise of government institutes and universities in an effort to improve our students' prospects. If our students are found wanting in any field, we will try and seek the expertise of people in the relevant field.

We definitely want to equip them for the world and prepare them through practical training rather than just imparting theoretical training to them. Our efforts will be to provide the industry with the most skilled, trained, empathetic and ethical professionals.