Question- Give the Role of Mass-Media in Education in India.

Answer -

Role of Mass-Media in Education in India

The present day world is facing two general problems - "information explosions" and the "population explosion". Information explosion means an explosion of knowledge. Today, throughout the world, social and technological changes are taking place rapidly due to expanding world of information. So there is explosion of knowledge. New frontiers of knowledge are opening day by day and the horizon of human knowledge and understanding is expanding very fast.

On the other hand, with the explosion of knowledge there is also population explosion. The student population is immensely increasing year by year due to the growth of population and democratization of education with varying levels of motivation and aspiration. The problem of "population explosion" is more serious in the developing countries than the developed one. India is facing serious difficulties both from population as well as information explosion.

So the two general factors – “information explosion” and “Population explosion” have posed critical problems for education - more things to be learnt and more people to be taught. Today there is a cry for “more education to more people in less time”. For solving these problems successfully, educational technology consisting of various media of mass communication are essentially required. Both qualitative improvement and quantitative expansion of education can be facilitated and accelerated with the help of this mass media under educational technology. So the mass-media has come to our rescue to tackle this problem.

Education of tomorrow will be able to play its role more effectively by making the individuals creative, active and efficient. Success of education cannot be achieved merely by substituting mechanical methods for human beings, but by developing new patterns using both human beings and technological advancements in order to teach more people better and more rapidly.

There are a good number of media for mass communication such as radio, television, newspapers and films etc. Previously, the mass media in the form of illustrative were only put to marginal and individualized use. There was neither any coherent thinking nor a scientific organization of these materials in the educational process. But their increased use has been mainly due to interest and initiative of certain teachers.

The media of communication is the medium by which a piece of information or knowledge is communicated to us. This medium is the message, which is of greater importance. Because, the same piece of information when conveyed on a printed page or over the telephone by radio, or television will appear different and have entirely a different effect on us. Hence the effectiveness of a piece of information depends upon the medium through which it is imparted. Thus, the mass-media are not only the messages, but also the message.

Because, it massages the sensory organs and stimulates them to respond actively. Hence, the mass media is very important for classroom teaching as a part of the process of instruction. The sole objective is to improve the teaching-learning process with the use of various media. Therefore, the main purpose of mass-media in education is to benefit more students with fewer teachers or to obtain quality education.

In fact, the mass media have become a well of message around the world of today and have entered into all the structures of daily life, it can be used and in fact is being used as a means of education. So the role of mass media in education is gaining importance every day.

Importance of Mass Media

1. Mass Media provide information to the mass within a less time.
2. It takes a wide coverage of information regarding anything that is happening in any corner of the world.
3. It brings the entire world to the individual or to the classroom. Children spend hours together sitting in front of the television and can visualize, hear and acquire knowledge about the world.
4. These media easily reach groups, allow repeated use, give more reality, influence attitudes, show cause and effect relationships and ultimately motivate the audience.
5. It sends information to remote places and helps in distant learning.
6. It helps in modification of attitudes, inculcation of desirable values and acquaintance with cultural heritage.
7. Mass media acts as an agency of social change.
8. Mass media are useful for reinforcing group dynamics and interpersonal communication.
9. Mass media as means of communication make ideas clear to children and help them to acquire correct knowledge. They help in simplifying and in giving vividness to explanation.
10. Mass Media make the instruction concrete and stimulate interest and excite curiosity in things.

"Education today, therefore, has a far greater responsibility than it had ever before. It has to meet the demands of a dynamic world which change its character every day. Contemporary education has to be more comprehensive and complete than it was ever before. The role of the various agencies of education like home, society, community etc. has consequently increased, so has the role of the mass media like television, radio, cinema, newspaper increased.” So now-a-day, press, radio, cinema, television, etc. are becoming more and more important in an individual’s life.

Mass media in education are press, radio, motion-picture, television, etc. So mass media are many and these are technically called passive agencies of education. They influence the attitude and behaviour of the people indirectly. These agencies cover entertainment, informatory propaganda, historical record, education and improvement of moral judgement and moral tone of the people.

The role of some important mass media are discussed below:

Radio: Radio acts as the medium of mass-communication. It is used mainly to broadcast events to far and wide places of the world. It is also a very important source of entertainment. Every day, we listen to various talks, discussions and debates from radio. These are extremely important and useful for the students. Especially for the purpose of teaching, many programmes are broadcast over the radio. So radio acts as a great recreational and education force. It broadcasts scientific and cultural facts. It enlightens public opinion. It stimulates curiosity and interests.

The radio has proved a valuable supplement to class teaching and learning. Educational broadcasting is comparatively a new experiment and is catching on well. Through school broadcasts, expert teaching in such diverse fields of science, social studies, art, music, languages, politics, current affairs and other areas, can provide information and enrichment for pupils and for the teacher.

The educational programmes are broadcasting by the expert teachers with effective methods which demonstrate new ideas and approaches to classroom procedures. Programmes are especially designed in-collaboration with the experts for different age groups in the schools.

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