Journalism scholarships provided to 11 students

Kathmandu, Jan 10: The Department of Information and Broadcasting has granted scholarships to 11 journalism students to pursue further studies in this discipline.     

The scholarships were provided to the selected students in the presence of Secretary at the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology Radhika Aryal amid a programme today.     

Secretary Aryal suggested the scholarship recipients practice dignified and realistic journalism, expressing her concern over the dissemination of misleading news lately.     

She also voiced her concern over the scarcity of skilled journalists, emphasizing the need to produce more skilled journalists.     

Similarly, Director General of the Department Pradeep Pariyar shared that each recipient received a scholarship amounting to Rs 25,000. According to him, the scholarship scheme, which was halted due to some technical issues, was resumed this year.     

He said that the scholarships were provided to deserving students considering various factors such as inclusivity, situation and need, in addition to their academic merit.     

There were a total of 32 applicants, graduates from higher secondary school and bachelors level, he informed, adding that there were no applications from students belonging to the Madheshi and Muslim community.     

According to the Department, the scholarship recipients are Laxmi Tamang, Rupesh Thapa, Shashank Koirala, Prakash Kapali, Manjuli Koju, Arzu Satyal, Swastika Timilsina, Tenzing Dolsa Lama, Suman Machamasi, Amita Pariyar and Nawaraj Soti.     

Also speaking at the scholarship distribution programme, Federation of Nepali Journalists' President Nirmala Sharma urged aspiring journalists to pursue journalism acknowledging the difference between social media and journalism.     

Likewise, Minimum Wages Determination Committee Chairperson Sangita Khadka called for earliest formation of Mass Media Academy to cater to the demand for skilled journalists in the country.(RSS)