Language teaching and learning strategies for understanding and communication

"Newspaper In Education" and READY programme (WAN)

"Newspaper in Education" Committees in more than 16 countries, namely Austria, Belgium, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, The Netherlands, Norway, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, United Kingdom and USA. It is to be extended soon in: Bosnia, East Timor, Kosovo, Macedonia, Serbia y Montenegro. WAN is also helping through Scholarships or follow-up programs in: Hungary, Belorussia, Estonia, Albania, Romania, Ukrainia, Lithuania, Mongolia, Azerbaijan, Bolivia, East Caribean States, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Georgia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kyrgz Republic, Morocco, Senegal, Slovenia, Tanzania, Yugoslavia, Kenya and Burkina Faso.

Newspaper in Education (NIE) is the name for an educational partnership between newspaper industry and participating school systems. The 30 countries participating are having programmes and activities with newspapers for preschool through college and beyond in order to first fight illiteracy and second to empower the population with critical media reading skills. Committees were then created in each country to encourage the culture of reading newspapers through the establishment and development of Newspaper in Education programmes. Such programmes should promote analytical reading skills and an appreciation of the role of a newspaper in a democratic society. The READY project is part of the WAN Research Centre. It helps newspapers adjusting to the needs of the XXIst Century. It also provides assistance and training programmes in emerging democracies (establish and enhance "Newspaper in education" projects) ,helps to build private distribution networks in other countries (WAN/UNESCO programme) and distributes many different kinds of scholarships.

Newspaper in Education tries to promote the establishment of as many as possible programmes for newspaper literacy. In its most elementary form, an NIE program is one in which newspapers are distributed to schools or other institutions that conduct educational programmes. The next step could be to deliver together with the newspaper a description of an exercise that can be done using the newspaper. At the most active level, an NIE program engages several newspaper staff members, a well-defined package of products and services, including extensive teacher training and activities all year long. In this case, the newspaper generally earns a reputation as an active and well-respected player in the community educational process. Schools can use the newspaper at all levels of the NIE process, in a variety of subjects such as history, reading, social science, math, economics, composition, etc. The main objectives in the classroom would be: to develop reading and media literacy skills, critical thinking, critical reading and critical viewing abilities to evaluate the message, to foster a love of reading and to make available, affordable, relevant and effective learning resources to teachers and learners. Outside the school walls, many other residents of the country can benefit from the educational side from the newspaper, if developed up to the third phase.
In different countries, some newspapers are very active in NIE Committees and programmes, such as El Tiempo in Colombia, Avisen I Undervisningen in Denmark, The Irish Times in Ireland, The Nihon Shinbun Kyokai in Japan and the Russkaya Semiya in Russia.

Newspaper in Education programmes were first introduced in 1930 in a number of countries, and the programmes have adapted to society's changes. Newspapers are seen by the NIE Committees as essential tools for citizens of democratic societies to develop literacy as a whole.

Dr. Aralynn McMane
Director of Educational programmes
E.mail : Mcmane@wan.asso.fr
And Amélie Kalinine
Project Coordinator NIE/PFF
E.mail : Akalinine@wan.asso.fr
AMJ/WAN
25 rue d'Astorg
75008 Paris
Tel :+33 1 47 42 85 00
Website : http://www.wan-press.org/
Institutional Partners
UNESCO
Ministries of Education of most countries participating
Financial Partners
PubliGroupe, CH T
Telia, Sweden
WRH Marketing, CH
MAN ROLAND
UPM
UNISYS

The Newspaper in Education Committees were set up in 1991. The READY program began in 1997. The WAN/UNESCO independent distribution network was created in 1998.

Special manuals prepared by the READY project (among others): - Readings in Newspapers in Education (2nd edition) (Media literacy, conflict resolution and civic education).