The New Batch!

Help for our overworked newsroom staff is finally here. The "new batch" of 17 newscasters arrived from the training center in Addu Atoll and will spend several more weeks training in the capital. Musthafa, the executive producer, is back with them and moved quickly to fix some of the technical problems that have been plaguing us for the past two weeks. This was their first morning meeting with the assignment board. There's a lot of excitement about this group because they are the first to train as journalists under the new policy of editorial freedom that we established during the first phase of the Maldives Media Training Project. I could tell by the way that they introduced themselves that they have the confidence and courage to do a fantastic job. Rameez and Musthafa feel like these are their children and I think the "old batch" is a little worried about the competition. Notice the dress code for the first day on the job: turquoise tunics for the women and black business shirts for the men.The uniform is worn with great pride. A "certificate in broadcast journalism" is offered to those who have completed their O level of high school, which is the US equivalent of 10th grade.
My dream for Maldives is to start a two-year college-level degree program, in which students could "earn while they learn" at TVM. Presently, students must leave the country to earn a college diploma in media studies, and Heena will be leaving for India shortly after the election to get her degree.