Media Human Resource Development in Indo-Chinese Countries


PROGRAM DATA
Implementing Organization: Distance Learning Foundation (Thailand),Kasetsart University(Thailand),
Lao National TV,Ministy of Culture and Information(Laos).
The Sasakawa Peace Foundation
Cooperating Organization:
Target Country: Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar
Type of Project: Human Resource Development
Period: 3 years (FY 1998 - 2000)



This group of projects undertook media human resource development in the three Indochinese countries of Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam and in Myanmar by means of publishing, television program production, and training programs targeting local media professionals. Five independent projects were supported: Educational Media Human Resource Development in Southeast Asian Countries, Training for Program Production of Agricultural Education in Laos, Assistance for Media Development in Cambodia, Educational TV Broadcast of The Structure of Market Economy in Myanmar, and Educational TV Broadcast of The Structure of Market Economy in Laos.

In the project Educational Media Human Resource Development in Southeast Asian Countries, Thailand's Distance Learning Foundation carried out training of not only production personnel working on educational programs but also Ministry of Education officials and educators involved in correspondence colleges. Over two years a total of 43 people from the four target countries took part. They received instruction in the operation of transmission equipment for distance education and program production techniques. In Laos, which has no language barrier vis-a-vis Thailand, a small-scale experiment in distance education via satellite was undertaken shortly after the conclusion of the project.

In the project Training for Program Production of Agricultural Education in Laos, Thailand's Kasetsart University trained people involved with TV, radio, education, and agriculture in educational program production. The six TV programs produced in the course of training, including Native Chicken Raising, Giant Catfish Culture, Off-Season Mango Production, and Shiitake Mushroom Production, have been televised in Laos. The trainees (a total of 40 over two years) are expected to raise the level of program production in Laos by training others in the workplace.

In the project Assistance for Media Development in Cambodia, support was provided to strengthen information output via the Internet in the first year and to train young journalists in the second year. The latter is continuing with funding from another organization.

The projects Educational TV Broadcast of The Structure of Market Economy in Myanmar and Educational TV Broadcast of The Structure of Market Economy in Laos supported the showing of this TV program in Myanmar and Laos, respectively. In both countries the program received high praise from the networks that broadcast it, and from viewers.