Ministries of education and the media: close encounters – mixed emotions Forum on Education No. 14 Ministries of education and the media: close encounters – mixed emotions IIEP, Paris, 20-21 June 2002 Gudmund Hernes, in collaboration with Michaela Martin and Estelle Zadra International Institute for Educational Planning International Institute for Educational Planning www.unesco.org/iiep The views and opinions expressed in this booklet are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of UNESCO or the IIEP. The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this review do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO or the IIEP concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or its authorities, or con- cerning its frontiers or boundaries. The publication costs of this study have been covered through a grant-in-aid offered by UNESCO and by voluntary contributions made by several Member States of UNESCO, the list of which will be found at the end of the volume. Published by: International Institute for Educational Planning 7-9 rue Eugène-Delacroix, 75116 Paris e-mail: [email protected] IIEP web site: http://www.unesco.org/iiep Cover design: Pierre Finot Typesetting: Linéale Production Printed in IIEP’s printshop ISBN: 92-803-1227-8 © UNESCO 2003 International Institute for Educational Planning www.unesco.org/iiep CONTENTS Pages Abbreviations 9 Preface 11 Part I. A marriage of two minds, Gudmund Hernes 15 Introduction 15 Structural sources of conflicts between ministries and the media 18 Conclusion 31 Part II. Communicating via the mass media for educational reforms: a Senegalese experience, Mamadou Ndoye 33 Introduction Conducting a difficult but necessary reform: the importance of communication 33 Communicating in a troubled media environment 35 What should we communicate? With whom? To what end? To whom? 37 Scheduling communication on the reform: current events versus the long term 38 Encouraging debate between divergent points of view 42 Conclusions 43 In response to the presentation of Mamadou Ndoye, Gilbert Gardner 44 Part III. The role of the media in the construction of public opinion in education: an experience from Argentina, Juan Carlos Tedesco and Roxana Morduchowicz 53 Introduction 53 The written press and the construction of public opinion in education 56 Press and politicians 61 Conclusions: implications for education policies 62 References 64 In response to the presentation of Juan Carlos Tedesco and Roxana Morduchowicz, Jean C. Tayag 64 Part IV. Proactive versus reactive strategies: an experience from Norway, Egil Knudsen 69 The main challenge 69 The main problem 70 5 International Institute for Educational Planning www.unesco.org/iiep Contents Handling crises 73 Five concrete points for a proactive media strategy 75 Concluding remarks 84 In response to the presentation of Egil Knudsen, Molatwane Likhethe 85 Part V.A. Education policy and the specialist educational press, Robert Doe 89 Introduction 89 Relations with the Ministry of Education 90 A consensus is dead 94 Government by press release 98 Press officers and ‘spin’ 99 Two-star TES 101 Other reliable sources? 104 The dangers of initiative overload 106 References 111 Part V.B. Specialized press in education, Brigitte Perucca 113 Part VI. The specialized press in India and its attitude to educational issues, Dileep Padgaonkar 121 Education in the cultural context 122 Conclusion 126 In response to the presentation of Dileep Padgaonkar, Trevor Cook 127 Part VII. Television, Cyril Auffret 135 Introduction 135 The audience is ‘the target’ 135 What topics are covered, and how? 137 Relations with the Ministry 140 Trade unions and associations 141 Filming in a school 142 In response to the presentation of Cyril Auffret, Stella Hughes 143 Part VIII. Communication for education and development in Africa Programme (COMED) – Building systems and capacities to promote media participation in education development, Akintola Fatoyinbo 147 Introduction 147 The African media landscape 147 Why? 149 Four ways to break the vicious circle 149 The COMED programme 151 6 International Institute for Educational Planning www.unesco.org/iiep Contents Activities during Phase 1 152 Evaluation 158 COMED proposed activities 2002/04 – Phase two In response to the presentation of Akintola Fatoyinbo, Roseline A. Onyuka 163 Appendices 1. Programme 167 2. List of participants 169 7 International Institute for Educational Planning www.unesco.org/iiep International Institute for Educational Planning www.unesco.org/iiep ABBREVIATIONS BJP Bharatiya Janata Party COMED Communication for Education and Development COMEDAF COMED Conference on the Decade of Education EFA Education for All EMIS Education Management Information Systems FAPE Fédération africaine des associations des parents d’élèves GICS Government Information and Communication Service GNP Gross National Product ICT Information and Communication Technologies IT Information Technology ISTIC Institute for the Science and Technology of Information and Communication MLO Media Liaison Officers MDE Monde de l’éducation Mercosur Mercado común del Sur MOE Ministry of education NGO Non-governmental organization NUT National Union of Teachers (UK) OAU Organization of African Unity OECD Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development PISA Programme for International Student Assessment TES Times Educational Supplement 9 International Institute for Educational Planning www.unesco.org/iiep Ministries of education and the media: close encounters – mixed emotions TIMMS Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study WANAD West African News Media and Development Centre WB World Bank USAID United States Agency for International Development 10 International Institute for Educational Planning www.unesco.org/iiep PREFACE An institute for educational planning has to be a learning organization. It is clear that educational planning does not only take place in an environment consisting of schools, students, parents, teachers, other ministries, publishing houses or organizations and local authorities – the media play an increasingly poignant role in the environment of ministries of education. What the media address or ignore, support or attack, has a strong impact on the perception and implementation of reforms – and what they finally become. The media can transform the relative power of the actors – and shape both viewpoints and opinions of what takes place on the scene. The International Institute for Educational Planning organizes a yearly Policy Forum to address and explore important trends and tendencies in the field of education. In June 2002 this annual event was centred on the Relations between ministries of education and the media. This Policy Forum created an opportunity for documentation and discussion on the crucial mechanism that the media has become for ministries of education to reach an important audience, to gain support for education in general and for specific reforms in particular. At the same time education is becoming an attractive content for the media – for both the general press and specialized journals. This is the case not only in industrialized countries, but in the developing world as well. Hence, ministries of education and the media live a symbiotic relationship – but with partly coinciding / partly divergent interests and goals that are revealed through multiple strategies and tactics. The latter are in no way stable, but are constantly changed and developed as the two parties make better acquaintance. 11 International Institute for Educational Planning www.unesco.org/iiep Ministries of education and the media: close encounters – mixed emotions A basic assumption put forth at this Policy Forum is that both actors would gain from a clearer understanding of the other’s modes of operation and internal functioning, which would in turn lead to improved information and communication towards the development of education. The Policy Forum brought together, from various parts of the world, policy-makers from ministries of education, as well as top-level journalists representing different types of media, viz. general and specialized media, published and electronic press. It created an ideal setting for the transmission of knowledge, reflection on developments and analysis of experiences from both reporting strategies of the media and communication strategies on the part of the ministries. Among the questions addressed were: • What proactive strategies are utilized by ministries of education when introducing educational reforms? To what extent is communication an integral part of policy-making? To what extent and in what ways do the ministries adapt their communication strategies to a particular policy context when targeting the media? • What are the reactive strategies that ministries of education pursue in response to unforeseen events? Are they even capable, so to speak, of handling ‘bad news’ proactively if they have the right vigilance, professionalism and alertness? • How is public opinion formed in the field of education? How does a particular public – such as teacher or student unions – compete for the attention and sympathy of media that may also be ‘courted’ by ministries? • What long- and short-term strategic alliances do ministries of education and the media develop to target specific audiences that may have their own particular agendas? 12 International Institute for Educational Planning www.unesco.org/iiep Preface •