The President of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL), Peter Quaqua, has called on school administrators across the country to properly train mass communication students before graduating them into the journalism profession.
He added that “some of the mass communication graduates cannot measure up in the practice of the profession, describing it as a scaring sign.
The journalists union president said the growth in the number of media institutions is a good development for the country, but warned that those who practice in the media must be up to the task.
Speaking at the induction of officers of the United Methodist University Mass Communication Students Association over the weekend, Mr. Quaqua said the challenge for such growth cannot be matched to the products being graduated into the media.
He urged University authorities to focus more attention on their students so that after they graduate they will be fully prepared to be absorbed in the field of journalism.
Quaqua said the PUL receives too many complains of ethical problems from some journalists who are trained by the various Universities.
He said most at time, the PUL is blamed for problems and not the universities from which the students acquired their degrees.
In his inaugural address, the President of the UMU Mass Communication Student Association, James Kwabo, said his administration is aware of the challenges that lie ahead.
He added that his administration will seek capacity advancement from Non-Governmental Organizations, professional institutions and the government, aimed at moving the department forward.
He used the occasion to call on the Ministry of Information and the Press Bureaus of the House of Representatives and the Liberian Senate to allow their reporters to cover national functions in the first and second branches of government.
In a related development, the Mass Communication students of UMU have launched a US$25,000 radio project for use by the students of the department.
Mr. Kwabo said the project, when completed, will afford students the opportunity to put to practice what they are being taught in school.
For his part, Dr. Lawrence Blopleh of the Lonestarcell commended the students for the project and pledged one year of voluntary service as an instructor of Mass Communication at the institution.
He contributed an amount of US$1,000 and pledged on behalf of Lonestar Cell MTN US$2,500 toward the setting-up of the radio station for the students.
