New Delhi, July 27: A new media school, 9.9 School of Convergence (9.9 SoC), was launched here today by the 9.9 Media Group. Dr. Pramath Raj Sinha, Founder & Managing Director of 9.9 Mediaworx Pvt Ltd and the Founding Dean of the Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad, will be the Dean of the new institution.
Speaking at the launch of 9.9 SoC, Dr. Sinha said, “We are driven by the twin motivations of meeting the growing demand for high-quality journalistic talent as also driving for professional excellence by constantly setting new benchmarks in journalism for the media industry. Our very first programme in Applied Journalism is aimed at building the fundamentals in terms of skills and values for the journalist of the future.”
The Diploma in Applied Journalism will focus on training entrants into the industry. This 11-month program will equip students in the craft of journalism using a process of “learning by doing”. It will focus on the fundamentals of reporting, writing and editing a story, from an idea to the finished product, regardless of the media. The Programme will use a high degree of experiential learning, which is a preferred way of teaching in most J-schools globally, along with concepts such as mentorship, use of the city of Delhi as a laboratory, and syndication of content created by students – again, employed commonly in universities abroad but rare in India.
In addition, leading journalists will serve as faculty to add practical insights to 9.9 SoC’s curriculum. Four Associate Deans including Eric Saranovitz (Academics and Research), Pooja Kothari (Programmes), Bejoy Suri (Admissions and Marketing), and Gunjan Aggarwal (Career Services) will manage the school.
The school has tied up with the Indian School of Business and Finance to use their upcoming state-of-the-art campus in Lajpat Nagar in South Delhi for its classes. It is now taking applications from working professionals and students for the Diploma in Applied Journalism. This programme is also meant for journalists in the early stages of their career.
“Our aspiration is to make 9.9 SoC a top-ranked media school, not just in India but globally. We want more Indian journalists to be globally respected. What better time to do this than now when India and Indian media are growing so much faster than the rest of the world,” said Dr. Sinha.
–Agencies–