The Media Agenda and Insight Training Centre will be offering certificate and diploma courses in journalism as of September this year.

This was revealed to journalists at a press briefing held at the Media Agenda offices in Churchill’s Town on Wednesday.

According to Mr. Madi Ceesay, Director of Media Agenda, the syllabus for the courses, which they have been working on for six months, has been validated with the National Training Authority and was seen as very relevant. The certificate and diploma courses will be offered side by side in 9 months he said.

According to him the syllabus includes newsgathering, feature writing, public relations, photojournalism and advertising among other subjects. He further revealed that the fees for the certificate level is D12, 000 while the diploma is D15, 000 respectively.

On enrolment eligibility, Mr. Ceesay said that journalism certificate holders would be given the enrolment in diploma courses. Those in the who have been practicing journalism for ten years in the country will admitted for the diploma while Grade 12 students who score a credit in English are also catered for and Grade 9 graduates who have been in the profession for five years can also be considered as mature candidates.

For his part, Mr. Ismaila Ceesay CEO/principal of Insight Training Centre said, “this is an opportunity for Gambian journalists and those who want to become journalists. He added that the courses are not only limited to journalists but also for those in the advertising industry and public relations departments. The course lectures include veteran journalists like Suwaibou Conateh, Amie Bojang Sussoho and Cherno Jallow.