Date: 2020-02-27

Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, is set to key into the unbundling of Mass Communication programme with effect from next academic session in August, says Dr Isiaka Aliagan, the acting Head of Department, Mass Communication. Kwara.

Aliagan said on Wednesday in Ilorin that the institution would now have a college/school of communication, housing four departments instead of the all encompassing mass communication.

"We have been able to access the blueprint and the documents from the National Universities Commission (NUC) and we are already contemplating on what to do to conform to the new policy.

"So, we have agreed that as from the next admission session starting in August, we will be admitting students not to the old mass communication discipline platform, but in the new segments of the discipline. "We have spoken with the Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Sakah Mahmud and he has told us to come up with a proposal to what exactly we want to do. "So, we are hoping to start with three or four departments namely Journalism and Media Studies department, Public Relations department, Advertising department and Broadcast department.

"The four departments to be created will have common courses that will be referred to as core courses, when it now comes to specialisation, the four segments will now go different.

"By the time we submit our proposal to the management, it will pass through the senate and then final submission to the NUC for endorsement to implement," Aliagan said.

He explained that facilities would not be a problem of the unbundling, because the institution already has an existing system of specialisation for the students.

"What we will need in terms of facilities is just a bit of expansion in terms of what we are doing presently. "This is because in the present system, our students break into specialisation at 300 level, whereby those who want to do broadcast will follow suit, same for those that want to go into PR, advert and other segments. "We have the facilities in place, because we have been operating our sequences as desirable.

"There is an existing television studio, a radio studio, print studio which was recently upgraded into a digital newsroom and we have public relations and advertising studio too. "So, the facilities are there, there will only be a bit of additional facility to be able to meet up since they will now be separate department now," the head of department said.

Aliagan said the department was already working with the management to replace some of the disengaged staff to fill up the space. He added that since the unbundling would only affect the yet to be admitted students, the institution would have enough time to put other things in place to meet up with the required standard.

NAN reports that the NUC had in January unbundled mass communication into seven degree programmes namely: Journalism and Media Studies; Public Relations; and Advertising.

Others are Broadcasting; Film and Multi-media studies; Development Communication studies and Information; and media studies.

(NAN)