Mumbai: Mumbai University has recently notified the colleges, that as per the new Bachelor of Mass Media (BMM) syllabus, every Third-Year BMM (T Y BMM) student will have to master the art of QuarkXPress - a page-making software in four months apart from producing a four-page local newspaper, a four-page national paper and a 32 - page magazine in the same duration individually.
Students are likely to be charged an extra fee also, as they have to complete this along with the rigorous project-work for five other subjects, especially when many teachers say they are not well-versed with QuarkXPress themselves. Sangeeta Kohli, Chairperson, Board of Studies, said that there is ample of time for the students to complete the project work.
Sangeeta also added that the students know QuarkXPress from the second year of BMM itself. She was sure students would be happy with the changes made. Students had practical component and theory for all the other five subjects in TYBMM but, for the subject on newspaper - and magazine - making, they would only have to do project work.
Nandini Sardesai, Sociologist and a visiting faculty for the BMM said that the new syllabus would put immense pressure on students which will lead to making two newspapers and one magazine in the span of a few months very difficult. Students will soon start getting their projects done by someone else, which will open the doors for cheating purpose. Moreover, a BMM coordinator for a South Mumbai college said that they were not even intimated about the changes incorporated.
