Kerala - Kannur   

Campus radio ignites young minds

On air: P. Anupama, student of Government Vocational Higher Secondary School at Thottada, Kannur, at the Campus Radio studio set up in the school.

Kannur: P. Anupama is getting ready for her assignment as she has just gone through the important news items of the day finalised by the newsroom.

In a short while, her voice will be heard across the classrooms of her school through the public address system: “This is Campus Radio news read by Anupama of second year CCM (Civil Construction and Maintenance).” For the next five minutes she will be reading out the important regional, national and international as well as campus news from the computer at the studio set up in the school.

She is one of the students selected for news reading for the Campus Radio started by Government Vocational Higher Secondary School at Thottada after an audition test in which 75 students participated.

She herself has edited the English news items to be broadcast in the morning collected from English newspapers and TV channels. She has learned the skills of news broadcast from experts in radio programming.

“I always listen to English news bulletins of All India Radio and I try as far as I can to emulate the news readers in my reading for the Campus Radio,” says Anupama.

As fascinating as collecting news items and editing them for the broadcast is hosting panel discussions and other events such as campus quiz, she adds with excitement.

The Campus Radio launched in the school two months ago has been received enthusiastically by students, teachers and parents as an innovative programme for not only broadcasting English and Malayalam news but also hosting debates, interviews and campus quiz competitions every working day on the campus.

The Campus Radio launched under the aegis of the English Language Club and the National Service Scheme of the school broadcasts its programmes for one hour every day – 30 minutes each in the morning and afternoon. The 10 students have been recruited for the Campus Radio on the basis of their skills in news gathering, news preparation and presentation as also the audition test they have undergone.

“After the Campus Radio was launched, we have developed a keen interest in reading and watching news,” says K.K. Sruthi, second year CCM student in the school, who presents Malayalam news for the radio.

The programmes broadcast by the Campus Radio highlight classroom activities and debates on various issues including road safety, adolescent issues and books, she adds.

An advisory committee headed by Principal T.P. Rajeevan is also helping them. The voice control equipment costing Rs.20,000 have been purchased by the Parent-Teachers Association. The Campus Radio was formally inaugurated a few days ago by Kannur AIR Programme Director V. Chandrababu.

“We conceived the idea as a way of instilling among our students a keen interest in news and current affairs and also equipping them with media skills and experiences of broadcasting field,” says P.P. Babu, schoolteacher and district NSS co-ordinator.

Computer systems available in the school as part of teaching the computer technology application included in the curriculum have come in handy for the students involved in the Campus Radio initiative, he points out.

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