The British Council invited St. Stephen's to a workshop on a very exciting project - BBC School News Report on November 18, 2011 at The Taj. This project was initiated in 2010 and now it was being offered to a 100 schools in India of which St. Stephen's became a part as it already has an ongoing partnership with a U.K. School - Vale First and Middle School, Worthing, West Sunsex.
Four students - Ishaan, Isher Singh, Saguna and Jashan and their co-ordinate teacher Mrs. B.K. Cheema attended the workshop. The students were taught how to make their own news report at school and to broadcast these to a real audience via the internet. The news had to be precise, brief and should grip the attention of the listeners. They have to make six school news report from November 2011 to October 2012 and their work will be published on their school website or their U.K. partner school website and also on the British Council Schools online website.
The project aims at involving young people to debate the ethics of news making, to garnish their communication skills and to build up their confidence. They were taught how to meet deadlines, how to work collectively in a group and how to meet the expectation of the audience. They chose the topics based on community, national or world issues at large. Our budding journalists have made three news reports so far and put them up on vimeo. The first was made on the problems faced at the Jagatpura School which St. Stephen's has adopted. The second was made on Corruption and the third they have made on the forthcoming Olympics.
The representatives of the British Council gave guidelines to the teachers not to interfere, but to nudge them in the right direction and finally help them to streamline the news, interviews and videos. They have been very cooperative and encouraging to the students as every effort of these amateur journalists is appreciated.
Mrs. B.K. Cheema
Co-ordinator
BBC Schools News Report Project
