Title: Dual vocational training for journalists (ProPeriodismo)
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Bolivia
Overall term: 2013 to 2015
Context
In Bolivia, there is little independent journalistic reporting and no public broadcasters or other public service media. The people of Bolivia are therefore rarely offered balanced, well-rounded information. The country's Ministry of Communication views state-run media’s role in presenting the Government's perspectives and activities, thereby providing a counterweight to private media. Private newspapers, radio broadcasters and television stations are generally considered to belong to the opposition.
In the past, aspiring journalists either studied at university or acquired their training through learning-by-doing. However, specialised university-based educational opportunities for journalism are limited. Most journalists in Bolivia studied communications, where by and large journalism is one specialised field among others. Most graduating students are inadequately qualified to work as professional journalists. In most cases, the universities are unable to link theoretical models with real vocational practice and everyday work in the world of media.
he country has no system of vocational training and continuing education tailored to journalists. Offerings are limited to seminars given by Bolivia's Fundación para el Periodismo (Foundation for Journalism, or FPP) and several universities. There are few continuing education opportunities for specialised areas such as sports, business, or arts and leisure reporting. And there are no educational offerings linked with practical training, like the dual-education apprenticeships in Germany.
The situation in rural areas is particularly difficult, where journalists serving small or rural media have hardly any access to a university education, and mostly learn their trade on the job. Even many of the editors of Bolivia's major newspapers are self-taught, particularly among the older generation. While university programmes lack practice orientation, existing on-the-job vocational training is missing more systematic development and the application of professional criteria and ethical standards.
High-quality training for journalists is an essential prerequisite for good reporting. Only in rare instances are the media in Bolivia able to function as watchdogs in the political arena. The general public therefore does not have an adequate foundation for making well-informed decisions on social and political issues - a factor which takes on major importance in the context of regional autonomy processes, for example.
The ProPeriodismo project is a cooperative undertaking of GIZ and DW Akademie, which is an international centre for media development, media consulting and journalism training of Deutsche Welle, Germany’s international public broadcaster.
Objective
The education of journalists in Bolivia is practice-oriented, integrates international and professional standards, and promotes awareness of the democratic function of the media.
Approach
Working in collaboration with the FPP, a pilot programme for dual education of journalists combining classroom and practical training is to be developed in cooperation with local media. Journalistic quality standards will be applied in developing the curriculum and selecting the instructors.
A training programme for university instructors in the field of journalism will be developed jointly with the Asociación Boliviana de Carreras de Comunicación Social, ABOCCS (the Bolivian association of faculties of communication studies). The focus will be on communicating journalistic techniques and pedagogical tools for training and guiding journalism students in reflective practice phases of their studies. Local media firms will be integrated in the programme’s development. The target group will include the students of the instructors taking part in the programme as well.
The programme also aims to promote continuing education for decision-makers and personalities of local radio stations in rural areas. Working in collaboration with the Centro de Educación y Producción Radiofónica (CEPRA), German and international experts will support efforts in three regions of Bolivia to enhance awareness of the role of media in rural communities, and communicate practical uses of suitable radio formats. The quality criteria that the participants learn for their programme work will be passed on by the more experienced colleagues to beginners at these broadcasters.
So far, there has been extensive fruitful dialogue on the content and implementation of dual education for journalists, and initial training and continuing education plans have been developed for specific target groups.
The government institution in charge of education and certification, the Escuela de Gestión Pública Plurinacional (EGPP), will in future define models for implementing dual education in diverse learning environments – e.g. in urban and rural settings, and in universities – and in various training curricula. The steering committee will regularly share the ideas, information and experience gained, and agree on practical approaches for cooperation.