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BAHAWALPUR, Jan 16 (APP):UNESCO Pakistan and the Centre for Media, Society, and Democracy organised a one-day training workshop for the promotion of media and information literacy at the Islamia University of Bahawalpur.
The aim of organizing this event at the university was to align national priorities with the Digital Pakistan Policy and the National Education Policy and to enable teachers and researchers to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals Goal 4 Quality Education and Goal 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
Prof. Dr. Savera Mujib Shami, Chairperson Department of Digital Media, University of Punjab was the Project Lead of the workshop, wherein senior journalists including Mubashir Bukhari, Noshad Ali and Communication and Cultural Heritage Strategist Amina Ali were the master trainers. Prof. Dr. Robina Bhatti, Dean Faculty of Social Sciences, presided over the event.
While addressing this occasion, speakers said UNESCO in Pakistan has been actively engaging stakeholders, particularly youth and civil society, in the promotion of Media and Information Literacy. In recent years, through collaboration with the Information for All Programme National Committee, Media and Information Literacy has been identified as a critical tool to combat violent extremism, hate speech, and disinformation in the country. A key recommendation from these efforts was the need to address the policy framework to ensure the integration of Media and Information Literacy across various national policies. Engaging policymakers, duty bearers, academia, civil society, and other relevant stakeholders is essential to building consensus on institutionalizing Media and Information Literacy in Pakistan, Prof. Dr. Robina Bhatti said. Prof. Dr. Asif Naveed Ranjha said we need to highlight the importance of Media and Information Literacy and explore how it can be integrated into educational curricula and professional practices to foster critical thinking and promote responsible media consumption. Prof. Dr. Savera Shami, Project Lead UNESCO, expressed her gratitude to Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Muhammad Kamran for providing such a positive opportunity in the Islamia University of Bahawalpur for organizing such an interactive session leading toward devising a comprehensive policy framework for legislation and implementation for the well-being of Pakistani society.