Documentation of ground realities is a pedagogical tool for imparting education: MoU signed between BIPP-ISB and AJKMCRC, Jamia

“BIPP-ISB” and “A. J. K. Mass Communication Research Centre” (AJKMCRC) of Jamia Milia Islamia University signed a three-year MoU on 20 April 2023. This MoU fosters academic and knowledge collaboration to effectively implement a large-scale landscape-level “Initiative on the Forest Economy” (IoFE) project. IoFE aims to build a scalable and sustainable forest economy and livelihood anchored around Community Forest Resource Rights (CFR)and Women-led Enterprises.  

AJKMCRC and BIPP-ISB mutually agreed on the specific objectives mentioned in the MoU are listed below: 

1. Joint Summer Internship for the M.A. Development Communication (D.C.) program students at AJKMCRC. 

2. To participate in multi-institutional collaboration to design and develop a multimedia case study platform. The proposed platform will be a new pedagogical tool for imparting education in humanities, social sciences, development studies, management education and related fields.  

 3. Designing and offering a Choice-based Credit System course focused on forest economy and CFR and resource governance for the students of AJKMCRC. 

4. Final semester project dissertation fellowship for M.A. Development communication. 

5. Conceptualization and co-production of documentaries focused on forest governance, economy and livelihood for international award circuits. 

6. To explore the possibility of a Joint Flagship PhD Fellowship under the Prime Minister Research Fellowship (PMRF) scheme.  

7. To explore the possibility of establishing a Chair Professorship in AJKMCRC. 

Prof Ashwini Chhatre, with the IoFE team, visited the Jamia campus to attend a meeting with the director of AJKMCRC and other faculty members on 14 April 2023. The objective of the meeting was to discuss the framework of the course curriculum of the final semester of M.A. communication Development, focussing on the forest economy and details of the summer internship program.  

The program is carefully designed to follow a series of well-defined phases. Initially, the IoFE team will dedicate five days (15-20 May) to provide intensive training to a group of 20 students. This training aims to familiarize them with various aspects of IOFE, ensuring they possess a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter.  

Following the training, the students will embark on a three-week field visit to Malkangiri, where their main objective will be to collect raw footage for their projects. These projects align with four distinct courses: Multimedia Journalism, Training and Capacity Building, Animation, and Media Advocacy. The field visit provides them with an opportunity to immerse themselves in real-world experiences and gain practical insights. 

Upon their return to Delhi, the students will continue their work by processing the raw footage they gathered during the field visit. Working collaboratively, they will utilize their skills and expertise to collectively produce multiple media products by the end of July. This phase emphasizes the importance of teamwork and leverages the diverse talents of the interns to create compelling media content. 

BIPP-ISB recognizes the significance of action research in bridging the gap between academic education and real-world challenges. To facilitate this, BIPP-ISB actively seeks to collaborate with educational institutions worldwide. By engaging in action research, students are empowered to tackle ground-level problems and contribute to meaningful solutions, thereby fostering a deeper understanding of the practical applications of their academic learning.