Radio for Learning and Development
Radio for Learning and Development
By Sanjaya Mishra
Radio has been referred to as “little media”, but its power to reach people because of its affordability and simplicity is proving that it can be considered “mother” of all. Participants of a Community Radio workshop that I attended in Agra, India on 10 January 2013 said radio can (i) promote local livelihood, (ii) promote national integration and communal harmony, (iii) preserve local culture, languages and dialects, (iv) preserve indigenous knowledge, (v) overcome illiteracy to provide education, (vi) play a significant role during natural disaster, and (vii) assist in citizen empowerment and good governance. Considering the “oral tradition” in this part of the world, and response of the communities on the power of radio, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), Govt of India has been organizing community radio awareness workshop since 2007. The Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA) has organized over 35 of such workshops in the past. This year 2012-13, MIB has asked CEMCA to organize three such workshops at Orcha, Madhya Pradesh, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, and Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh.
Community Radio (CR) movement has a long history worldwide, and accepted as a tool for strengthening cultural and linguistic diversity through local community participation. Several countries including Australia, Canada, France, Argentina, Columbia, Philippines, Ghana, South Africa, etc. have recognized the potential of CR and have made special provisions for such stations. In India, the impetus for CR came from the Supreme Court ruling in 1995 stating “Airwaves constitute public property and must be utilised for advancing public good” (see for details). In 2000 the Govt of India allowed educational institutions to set-up CR stations. In 2004 the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released a set of recommendations on CR that said any legal entity including an individual should be eligible for grant of a CR license. While it recommended that advertisements be allowed in CR, it did not recommend funding/grants for CR stations by the Government. In 2006, the Govt of India released new guidelines for CR that allowed Community Based Organizations (CBOs) to have CR license. As of now there are over 140 CR stations in India, and over 180 have singed the Grant of Permission Agreement (GOPA). Many applications are in process, and the overall licensing process is a complicated one. At CEMCA, we have a facilitation centre supported by the Ford Foundation to assist potential CR license seekers and also assists the MIB to process the applications through an online system.
Community Radio stations are usually faced with two challenges – sustainability and technical break-down. CEMCA during the current Three Year Plan (2012-15) has been engaged in developing a course for CR technicians to be made available as Open Educational Resources (OER) and also developing sustainability models through engagement with specific stations. CR radio can play a significant role, if is serves the needs of the communities around it. Therefore, quality as meeting the needs of stakeholders and community engagement are important.
Considering the popularity and success of radio due to its unique qualities such as a low-cost technology, ideal in areas of low literacy or for serving small specialized audiences, such as linguistic or cultural minorities, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in its 36 General Conference in 2011 proclaimed 13 February to be celebrated as the World Radio Day in recognition of “the day the United Nations established the concept of United Nations Radio” (Resolution 63). We at CEMCA would encourage all the CR stations in the region in general, and India and Bangladesh in particular, to celebrate the second World Radio Day – 13 February 2013 – by organizing special activities to create greater awareness and appreciation of the positive role that radio can play in national development. Such activities can take the form of invited lectures and interactions with radio experts, civil society and Govt officials in the locality; series of announcements on the day, and bites from history; programmes created to promote the use of radio, etc. It is also important to promote the day in social media, and use the emerging streaming audio, referred as Web Radio, to promote the importance of “little media” in informing, educating and entertaining citizens for national development. I am sure our collective advocacy efforts would result in increased sensitization of policy-makers to consider radio as tool for lifelong learning, and help create enabling environment for more CR stations.
Dated: 14 January 2013
