MEDIA literacy is becoming more than a classroom subject for students in Levuka, with a visit from the Fijian Media Association (FMA) giving them a practical understanding of journalism as the subject is introduced in Fiji’s new Year 9 and Year 10 English curriculum.
As part of its Levuka Town Hall initiative, the FMA visited St John’s College in Cawaci and Levuka Public School over the past two days, engaging students in discussions about journalism, media, and the changing information landscape.
FMA president Rosi Doviverata said the school visits provided students with an opportunity to ask questions about studying journalism as a career, the differences between social media and mainstream media, and the realities of working in the news industry.
“We talked about how there are other aspects of journalism, not just the writing, not just standing in front of a screen, but, the editing that goes on behind the scene, the technicians who also work endlessly, tirelessly and put things together,” she said.
“We spoke with students at St John’s College before meeting about 300 students at Levuka Public School.”
She said students were interested in understanding what they needed to study to pursue journalism and were also eager to learn about the challenges journalists face in their work.
“So it’s really been a great opportunity for us and this is something that we hope we will carry forward as part of our town hall initiative.
“We are hoping to hold more of these in the future and have more of these planned in the pipeline.”
Doviverata the school visits formed part of the broader Levuka Town Hall initiative, with the FMA using the opportunity to promote a better understanding of journalism and media among young people.
