The University of Botswana (UB) Department of Media Studies and the Gender Links (GL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Thursday in an effort to build good partnership in media training.
GL has developed a wide variety of gender and media training tools and applied different kinds of training in service and newsrooms in partnership with the Media Training Institutions around the region.
GL is also a member of the Global 50/50 campaign that trains, plans and runs joint women’s rights campaigns.
Representing the UB, Dr. Peter Mwikisa said, “This is an important document to the Media Studies Programme and this department has been gradually growing since its establishment. We are very delighted today to bring this kind of development to our institution. My appeal to us is to become a family with GL, with a strong focus on promoting gender equality in and through media.”
He also acknowledged the importance of gender in media education and journalism training.
For her part, the Gender Links Executive Director, Colleen Lowe Morna, highlighted the importance of the partnership and how valuable it is to both parties.
“It is wonderful working with UB Media Studies Department and we picked it because it is one of the promising establishments when it comes to gender equality,” said Morna. “GL has formed partnerships other governments, NGOs, academic institutions and gender advocacy groups in most SADC countries.”
According to UB Head of Media Studies, Professor David Kerr, media studies statistics on enrollment have indicated that 44 percent constitute male students while 56 percent is for female candidates and this has come after the slow progress in women in Botswana, incorporating the regional and national research materials on gender in the media as part of the teaching and reading materials for relevant courses in the media education and journalism training departments.
Gender Links encourages the media to give equal voice to women in all areas of coverage.
