The Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), in collaboration with the Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET), National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT), organized a five-day online training program on "Media Information Literacy." The training took place in English medium from 19th August to 23rd August 2024 and in Hindi medium from 26th August to 30th August 2024. More than 12,000 teachers and students participated in the training sessions.
Dr. Anupama Bhatnagar, Vice-Chancellor of IIMC, emphasized the importance of collaboration between institutions like IIMC and CIET-NCERT in creating awareness of media literacy in today's digital world. She highlighted that with the rise of social media and other digital platforms, misinformation has become a significant issue, and media literacy will empower individuals to distinguish between fact and fiction. Prof. Anubhuti Yadav from IIMC briefed the audience on the need and scope of media literacy, emphasizing that people who are media and information literate are more likely to reject invalid information, biases, and stereotypes that reinforce inequalities between women and men of all ages.
The sessions were conducted on different aspects of Media Literacy. Experts from the Institutes like IGNOU, IIMC, JNU delivered lectures on various aspects of Media and Information Literacy. The training was live-streamed on the NCERT official YouTube channel and was also simulcast on PMeVIDYA DTH TV channels numbered #6 -12.
This training program presented an excellent opportunity for individuals to improve their media literacy skills, gain a better understanding of media messages and their impact, and learn how to use media to create their own messages, which ultimately contributed in realisation of the goals of NEP-2020 in providing equitable quality education and lifelong learning.