Roundtable Discussion

Community radio and access to information

28 February 2008, 18:00 PM

Cultural Correspondent

A roundtable discussion was held on "Community Radio and Access to Information" at the BIAM Foundation Auditorium on February 27. The discussion was organised by UNESCO Bangladesh, in partnership with Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) and Mass-line Media Centre (MMC). Rasheda K.Chowdhury, adviser to the ministries of Primary and Mass Education, Women and Children, Cultural Affairs, was present as the chief guest. The special guests were Malama Meleisea, director and representative of UNESCO Bangladesh and Syed Margub Murshed, former chairman of BTRC. The discussion was chaired by Professor Sakhawat Ali Khan of DU. A survey on the content of community radio was conducted on about 163 people from Allenga in Tangail and 10 other villages from June to November 2007. The keynote paper and power point presentation were based on the findings and were presented by Mubarak Hossain, programme officer, MMC. A CD transcript of an imaginary radio broadcast in rural dialect was also played. BNNRC is registered as a trust and NGO Affairs Bureau with the Ministry of Law, Parliamentary and Justice Affairs. On February 6, 2008, the organisation submitted a proposal to the ministry to initiate community radio. Shamim Ahsan Khan, communications officer of UNESCO, delivered the introductory speech in which he said that community radio is an effective tool for assisting rural communities and UNESCO promotes it throughout the world. He stated India, which is expected to have 4000 community radios in a few years, as an example. Rasheda K.Chowdhury, in her concluding speech, said that she would recommend the initiative to the Ministry of Law, Parliamentary and Justice Affairs to aid the programme in following the proper process of the regulatory framework. Shamim Reza, Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, DU, expressed his enthusiasm regarding the initiative. He also pointed out a few possible flaws in the survey and the government's eligibility criteria, and suggested ways of correcting them. The other participants at the discussion were Kamrul Hassan Monju, executive director of MMC; Dr. Ahmed Kamal, Department of History, DU; AHM Bazlur Rahman, CEO of BNNRC; Professor Sheikh Abdus Salam, chairman, Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, DU; Taleya Rahman, executive director of Democracy Watch; Professor Golam Rahman, Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, Daffodil University; Manzure Huda Talukder, registrar, Open University and Md Arifur Rahman, executive director of YPSA.