Writes: Faton Ismajli
Decision-makers at the central and local levels do not understand the concept of what it is, how and why there should be mandatory media education in primary education. They are often confusing it with digital education, interpreting it as a need for the education of journalists and other producers of media content. In fact, media education is more than digital education and goes beyond the education of journalists. It is a process of forming a critical awareness of media content. It is a skill to protect oneself from the information disorder of all those who have media, social media and other platforms on the internet, and who produce misinformation, disinformation, propaganda and false information.
For the first time, in a law approved by the Parliament of the Republic, the deputies have decided to define media education and leave to the Independent Media Commission the task of "promoting and creating effective measures and tools for media education...".
In the problematic IMC Law, media literacy is conceptualized as the ability of citizens to use the media effectively and safely. It further explains that media literacy equips citizens with the critical thinking skills required to judge and analyze complex realities and to recognize the difference between fact and opinion.
This project should include all stakeholders in media education, from NGOs, universities, and central and local institutions.
In addition to the initiatives of Department of Journalism, reporter, recently also “hybrid.info” published a descriptive report on the poor state of media education in Kosovo. Without a doubt, the recommendation was that media education should be included in the primary education curriculum as a mandatory subject. Placing media education as an elective subject or in different subjects is not a solution nor is it a serious treatment of such an important subject for the education system in Kosovo.
However, why is there such great reluctance on the part of decision-makers to decide to include media education as a mandatory subject throughout the education system in Kosovo?
The answers may be different, but I think that, first of all, decision-makers have misunderstood media education.
So, there is a deep misunderstanding by Kosovo institutions regarding media education. They understand this form of education more as a process of educating journalists to report ethically and legally, and not as educating the public or certain groups to create the necessary skills on how to understand the media and how to create critical judgment about them.
Another misconception is that media literacy is associated with technology literacy. Media literacy is not the same as people's ability to use technology. Media literacy is people's ability to have a critical approach to content produced by all types of media.
Without a doubt, technological education is also important, but through media education, different forms of creating children's skills could be combined to understand and create critical judgments about media and their content.
Today's generation of children, from the time they are ready to hold a mobile phone in their hands, develop the skills to use technology. And precisely because they lack media education, many of them fall prey to dangerous games, misinformation, and using the media only for entertainment.
Media education aims to educate children to use the media in the most efficient and useful way possible to deepen their knowledge.
The Ministry of Education's approach that media education is sufficient, as it is included in technological education and in some subjects such as Albanian Language, Mathematics, History, etc., is wrong, because in this form, media education is not taken seriously by either teachers or students. By teaching media education in other subjects, and not in a basic subject, teachers, professors and students create the idea that it is not as important as a subject.
The repeated facts in all debates and discussions that most children have cell phones, have access to the internet, and have social media, once again underscore the urgency for Kosovo, like other developed countries, to establish media education as a mandatory subject in order to face the challenges.
Decision-makers at the central and local levels are not understanding the concept of what it is, why there should be mandatory media education in primary education. They are confusing it with digital education, interpreting it as a need for the education of journalists and other producers of media content. In fact, media education is more than digital education and is beyond the education of journalists. It is a process of forming a critical awareness of media content. It is a skill to protect oneself from the information disorder of all those who have media, social media and other platforms on the internet and who produce misinformation, disinformation, propaganda and fake news.
*This article was produced as part of the online newspaper Reporteri.net project: “Combating Disinformation and Propaganda through Media Education for Non-Majority Communities in Kosovo”, funded by a grant from the US Embassy in Pristina. The project is implemented in partnership with the media outlet “Front Online”. The author is a professor at the Department of Journalism at the University of Pristina. The opinions, conclusions, and findings, or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of State. Reporteri.net reserves all rights to redistribute this article.