DHAKA: Media specialists and academics at a meet Sunday underscored the need for a comprehensive national media policy to promote social advances, especially in the education sector wherein Bangladesh is lagging behind.

They also demanded that the media play role not only in structural education but also in social education so that country’s burgeoning population could be transformed into skilled manpower.

Journalism and mass communication Department of Daffodil International University (DIU) organized the roundtable titled ‘Education and Mass Media: Perspective of Bangladesh’ at the National Press Club.  Adviser Professor of the department Dr. Sakhawat Ali khan moderated the programme.

Addressing the function, Rashed Khan Menon MP, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, said the media could play a vital role in developing the education sector of the country.

“But the media couldn’t play its due role in identifying the problems in educational process and institutions, which caused anarchy in the field,” said Menon, president of the leftwing Workers Party.

He also requested the media owners to strengthen their education bit to identify the problems and prospects of the sector.

Former Vice-chancellor of Dhaka University Professor Maniruzzaman Mia said that the “weak point of our educational system” is students’ weakness in language and spelling of Bengali and English and here the media could play an important role.

Associate Professor of mass communication and Journalism Department of Dhaka University Dr. Abul Mansur Ahmed and DIU Vice-chancellor Professor Amnul Islam were among others present.

BDST:  1322 HRS. AUGUST 01, 2010