Dr. Anamika Ray Memorial Trust (ARMT) will focus on educational broadcasting in its Annual National Media Lecture on Wednesday.

The 4th Dr. Anamika Ray National Media Lecture will be delivered on the topic ‘What hindered its flight: Educational Broadcasting in India’ by Dr. R. Sreedher, Emeritus Professor, AIMC; former director, CEMCA; EMPC, IGNOU, New Delhi; AIR, Doordarshan; EMC, Anna University, IIT Roorkee.

Dr. Sreedher has been working on educational broadcasting in the country for the last five decades, who was also the founder of India’s Educational Television – ‘Gyan Darshan’ and India’s Educational Radio – ‘Gyan Vaani’.

Professor Madhab C Sarma, chairperson of the Trust, will formally inaugurate the lecture, which will be delivered from 6 pm, December 30 online through Zoom link as provided in the official website of the Trust www.armt.in.

“As we have seen in the last couple of months that most of the students, especially of far-flung areas in the country have been deprived of their education during COVID-19 pandemic, it becomes important to throw light upon the educational broadcasting in the country,” said Rajat Baran Mahanta, the vice-chair of ARMT.

The first lecture was delivered by Prof. Mohan Jyoti Dutta of the National University of Singapore, followed by Dr Jatin Srivastava of Ohio University, USA and Dr. Pallavi Guha of Towson University, USA and a former journalist of BBC (UK).

Mahanta, who also served the Assam government as joint secretary, said, “It is now time to revisit the foundational vision of educational broadcasting in the country and check whether it is materialized or what lapsed its very vision, especially in the context of pandemic.”

The Trust earlier prepared an online multimedia interactive document called ‘MOTIVATION’ with an objective to stimulate more than three crore students of higher education of the country about different prospects of activities even after the confinement of spaces due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Educational broadcasting in India today must take a true shape to address the grievances of the students deprived of education during pandemic,” said Dr. Ankuran Dutta, the managing trustee of ARMT.

“So, it is very important to listen to one of the pioneers of educational broadcasting in India through the platform of this National Media Lecture,” Dutta said.