DUSHANBE, June 23, 2009, Asia-Plus — The Independent School of Journalism “Tajikistan – 21st Century” (School) is currently conducting three-month training on practical journalism for 60 competitively selected students.
According to the School executive director Safo Safarov, the training was launched on June 1 and will be conducted through summer. “60 young journalists, aged 18-30, have been selected on competitive basis to participate in the training,” Mr. Safarov said.
The training, which is free of charge, is part of the project, Strengthening of Professional Knowledge and Skills of Young Journalists, which is implemented under support of the UNESCO International Program for the Development of Communication and the U.S. Embassy Democracy Commission Small Grants Program.
Training is conducted twice a week in Tajik and Russian groups on the following subjects: press media; radio and television. Known Tajik journalists Hulkar Yusupov, Rajab Mirzo, Amonullo Khairulloyev, Iskandar Firouz, Khurshed Nazarov and Karim Azizov are conducting the training as trainers.
Mr. Safarov said that the training participants have been instructed in international standards of modern journalism, as well as informational and analytical components of professional activity. “Young journalists have been trained in unbiased and balanced coverage of socially significant events,” said the executive director, “Familiarization excursions to editorial offices of newspapers, TV and radio stations as well as meetings and interviews with heads of various media and business structures, experts and representatives of government institutions, public associations and international organizations active in the country will be organized for the training participants as well.”
The training participants are using digital video cameras and Dictaphones, office equipment, Internet and specialized literature of the School’s Journalists Resource Center and learning professional computer programs.
Materials prepared by the students will be published in various media; an internship for the graduates will be organized in TV and radio stations and in newspapers in September. On completion of the training, the students will be given certificates and recommended to press and electronic media for the job.
Media Group Asia-Plus, Tajik Journalists’ Union, faculties of journalism at the Dushanbe universities as well as the independent TV station SMT (Simoi Mustaqil Tojikiston – the independent television of Tajikistan) have provided technical assistance with conducting the training.
The second stage of the training on practical journalism will be held in autumn 2009 and it will also involve 60 students.
Established in June 1999, the Independent School of Journalism “Tajikistan – 21st Century” aims to promote improvement of professionalism of journalists, development of Tajikistan’s information market, and strengthening of competitiveness of media. Over the period of its activity, the School has implemented more than 20 projects, including “Tajikistan’s Journalism in New Century”, “Management in Media”, “Access to Information: Cooperation and Transparency”, the cross-border project “Tajikistan-Afghanistan: Bridges of Friendship”, etc. In the framework of the projects, the School has conducted seminars, trainings and training courses on raising professionalism of journalists, instructing media personnel in modern methods of management and marketing, information and computer technologies, norms of journalistic ethics, etc.
