In research carried out by Media Initiatives on the topic of education of journalists and education for media literacy, it is stated that in the BiH the biggest is the Department of Journalism of the Faculty of Political Science of Sarajevo, which enrolls 120 students every year. The Department of Journalism of the Faculty of Philosophy of Istocno Sarajevo enrolls 30 students a year, the Department of Journalism and Communicology of the Faculty of Political Science of Banja Luka enrolls 50, and the Department of Journalism of the Faculty of Philosophy of Tuzla enrolls 45.
Mostar is the only city in BiH with two universities, a result of the city’s deep division between Croats and Bosniaks, the two majority peoples living there. Thus, the Department of Journalism of the Faculty of Philosophy of Mostar enrolls 40 students, while the Department of Communicology of the Faculty of Humanities of Mostar enrolls 70 students.
There are also two private faculties – Communicology Faculty of Banja Luka, which enrolls 100 students at the Department of Communicology, and Department of Computer Science and Communicology of the Faculty of Humanities of Medjugorje, which has a small group of no more than 10 students.
Such a big number of faculties of journalism/departments of journalism is not a result of actual needs of media outlets and communication institutions, but is rather a consequence of the country’s division into entities and cantons, but even more of the country’s ethnic fragmentation. We might say that each government, i.e. each ethnic political structure is educating “its own” journalists, it is stated in the study.
It is also stated that the main problem of this kind of education inability to provide practical training that is necessary to overcome better cooperation with the media and organizations for practical training and seeking budgetary and donor funds to open a production room at universities and the engagement of journalism professional. Editors confirmed in the research that they got from universities journalists who are totally unprepared for practical work.
The research, carried out in the scope of the regional project “South-East European Partnership for Media Development”, supported by the European Commission, was presented during a conference and training program attended by representatives of education communities, education ministries, NGO sector and journalism students. The goal was to familiarize participants with problems related to academic education of journalists and various aspects of media literacy and its social importance. Advocacy activities toward relevant stakeholders were also devised in order to launch an education process for media literacy at different levels. Professional media practice and understanding produced contents is a cornerstone of democratic society.
The entire research is available at www.mediaonline.ba/en/?ID=3416
Medijske inicijative 