SELECTED INTRICACIES BETWEEN COMMUNICATION EDUCATION AND PRACTICE IN TWO NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIES

Abstract

This study investigates media/ communication/ journalism students’ sense of significance towards media/ communications education and practice/ specialisation. Besides examining students’ feelings towards those practicing in core media/ communication/ journalism areas without media/ communication education, the study also looks at possible problems inherent in media and communications education in Nigeria. The Mathematical Theory provides the abstraction/ logical frame. Via the survey research method, 80 students each from Benue State University and Adekunle Ajasin University [Central and South-Western Nigeria respectively] were respectively sampled. Findings show that unspecialised/ non-streamlined curriculum, serious infrastructural inadequacy, lack of up-to-date equipment/ facilities for engaging practical lessons is harmful to efficient professional media/ communication education standards/ practice. The study concludes there is need for specialisation oriented curriculum and standardised/ professional and highly regulated conventional media/ communication/ journalism practice wherein the type of education received should/ would be accorded long awaited regard. As such the study recommends serious infrastructural improvements in media/ communication/ journalism education systems with the compulsory inclusion of high-tech functional/ up-to-date special purposes libraries. Indeed, university based media/ journalism/ communication education curriculum should be implemented into a five-year system/ programme hosted by Colleges/ Faculties of Media and Communications as well as a 12 month strongly supervised theory-industrial balance-based experience with adequacy/ appropriateness of student internship/ industrial scheme. This is suggested as the way forwards towards expert/ specialised/ professional contemporary media/ communication practices.