The new students at DMC

“Welcome to the Department of Media and Communication-Family”, greets moderator Sonnina, student in the fourth and last year of her Bachelor, the new generation of students.

30 of more than 200 applicants were selected through an entry test to study at the popular degree program at the Royal University of Phnom Penh. The Bachelor program “Media Management” exists since 2001. It is the only one of its kind in the country and is supported  by DED, DAAD and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. 13 students will additionally receive a scholarship to study abroad, five of them in Germany.

Journalist and Development Expert Andreas Grigo

“The institute offers students very good premises to develop media management and journalism skills” says Andreas Grigo, development expert  of the Civil Peace Service at DED and advisor at the Department of Media and Communication (DMC). He was positively surprised by his new job. “The study program offers students the opportunity to choose what helps them most to prepare for their future job. Those who want to specialize furthermore can attend a Master program abroad.”

Students give recommendations for the start

Andreas Grigo worked before as an editor at info-radio of RBB in Germany until he started working in Cambodia end of April this year. He teaches electronic journalism: a radio and television training which is extended this semester by online journalism.

It is important for Grigo to stress the conflict sensitive approach. The aim is that “the students give balanced reports, show the backgrounds and by doing this support the people in better understanding their home country”. Especially the reports concerning the Khmer Rouge-Tribunal would offer a good opportunity to practice their skills learned at DMC.

Semester opening

Students of all years are attending the opening ceremony for the new students on 09th October 2009 to support the newcomers in their preparation for the first year.

“Try to be independent and try to be brave” tells Hay Phirum his fellow students. He visited a prison during his studies and wrote an article about it. A visit which Hay recalls very dangerous and should not be repeated.

Visiting the new rooms

Rabea Brauer from the Konrad Adenauer Foundation praises the study program as it would boost the standards of journalism in Cambodia. She encourages students to be open for critical issues.

Wolfgang Möllers, Country Director of DED Cambodia, obviously enjoys the meeting and exchange between the future journalists. Möllers, a journalist himself, motivates the students, to ”squeeze and run after their teacher” as that would be their duty.

“I am happy to study what I like and not what my parents want me to study” summarizes Chakrya Chea the motivation of many attending students. Four years of learning journalistic skills and modern media management lie ahead of her.

Michael Marien