JournalismPakistan.com
June 08, 2012
Zeeshan Yousafzai

PESHAWAR: Journalism students of University of Peshawar will be leaving for Germany next month (July 19) to attend an agenda setting workshop.  

The meeting is abouta three-year project organized by the University of Erfurt discussing the topic ‘the changing role of social media in the Muslim countries’.

This meeting will be attended by six students of the Journalism Department although the list of participants from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has not been finalized yet.

Students representing several universities of the Muslim world will be part of the event. A number of cultural events have also been planned. Students from Germany will be visiting Khyber Pakhtun khwa in October.

The project was envisioned in the wake of events that unfolded during the civil unrest in the Arab world. The mass civil protests in countries such as Yemen and Egypt were complemented by heavy use of social media tools.

Ziaullah Khan, Coordinator, German International Assistance, Pakistan told JournalismPakistan.com: “Mass communication curriculum in Pakistan has not been revised although social media has become one of the important factors in public mobilization in the Arab world. The Pakistani participants will discuss the changing role of social media in Muslim countries especially in Pakistan.”

“The social media has entered each home of our country in the shape of cell phones and Internet but awareness on how to use itproperly is lacking,” said Summer Saeed, on of the students shortlisted for the program. She said like other mass media subjects, the social media too should be included as an academic discipline.

Khalida Niaz, who is also likely to make the trip, said the workshop would not only help identify the positive aspects of social media but will also be determining its negative impacts on society. “Social media along with its positive aspects has its dominant negative side too.”

Other students short listed are Omaima Ashfaq, Khadija Kanwal, Izaz Ali Shah and Ikramullah.

During the workshop the students will visit Germany’s culture center Weimar, local theaters and exhibition halls. There will also be group discussions among students of various countries on cultural issues.