Journalism Education Problems in Georgia

On December 14-15 Court Yard Marriott Hotel hosted the working meeting Professionalism in Media. The workshop was organized by the Embassy of France in Georgia. The event was initiated within the cooperation between Lille High School of Journalism (France) and the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA). The outcome of the cooperation will be the establishment of a professional education center for South Caucasus media to be based on French experience and European values. The initiative is being supported by EU. In addition to acting journalists the working meeting was attended by the heads of journalism schools in Georgia, foreign guests and editors. In the course of a two-day meeting media pundits discussed essential problems in the journalism education and arrived at a certain conclusion. Scarcity of up-to-date material-technical base has been found as an obstruction to gain high-professional knowledge. "The translation of journalism manuals into the Georgian language is still a problem, foreign instructive literature is being seldom translated here," Maya Mikashavidze, Dean at Caucasus School of Journalism and Media Management of Georgian Institute for Public Affairs said following the workshop. According to her the lack of source of funding educational programmes is another issue. "For instance it is hard today to impose high fee for journalism education since the journalist is afterwards is unable to earn this amount through his/her activity," Maya Mikashavidze said. According to her finding disbalance between regions and the capital city is huge in terms of gaining journalism education. "Educational programmes, utmost fit to the demands of the journalism society, are mainly taught in Tbilisi. While we have rather active regional press but the journalists having gained up-to-date knowledge refuse to work for it. And the regional press on its side faces problems in regard to re-training its staff," Maya Mikashavidze pointed out. Tamuna Kakulia, Development Director, Internews Georgia having taken part in the work of the aforementioned meeting has also stressed the necessity of re-training journalists and managers of media organizations. According to her the training courses conducted by Internews Georgia have illustrated that the journalists lacked general basic knowledge of journalism. Internews Georgia, Tamuna Kakulai said, through its training courses helps journalists acquire strong professional skills. "We, to some extent, help them change the attitude to the issue and the system of values. But it’s a fact as soon as the re-trained journalists get back to their working places they face absolutely different reality. They are able to realize a part of knowledge their managers, editors and producers let them to. I mean technical skills through the gained knowledge," Tamuna Kakulia said. "According to the opinion polls of the trainees in most cases the managers of media organizations lack specific professional skills, they have got scarce knowledge. In addition there is a kind of pressure in terms of editorial policy which hinders journalists’ activity," the Internews Georgia representative stressed. "Georgian editorial offices have singular demand for training courses since they are unwilling to pay for it. No funds are apportioned in the strategic development plans of media organizations," Tamar Kakulia added. "Editors show no interest in the professional advancement of their staff," Tamar Kakulia noted. Professor David Paichadze, head of the journalism department at Ilia Chavchavadze Tbilisi State University has also discussed the low level of academic programmes and their disconformity with modern demands: "There are universities which work mechanically and apply the academic programmes that remain unchanged for the last 30 years such as media theories adopted during the Soviet Union in the 60-70s. But there are universities trying to meet modern challenges," said David Paichadze having stressed another issue related to the university education. "Today there are professionals in Georgia who can teach students up-to-date journalism but they are scattered around different universities, and through the accumulation of this resource a good university would be set up," Paichadze pointed out. In addition, according to him, the roots of the problem related to Georgian media education should be sought for in the public school education too. Any teen having finished school should be at least able read and write in a literate way and express his/her viewpoints fluently.