IN a proactive move to help children make better choices about the programmes they view, the Broadcasting Commission and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has launched a media literacy project.

The initiative, which is to be piloted in a number of primary schools in September, will target children in grades four to six. It is aimed at helping children become more empowered media users by helping them to make decisions about what to listen or watch, especially when there is no adult supervision.

The four-module video presentation with supporting teacher’s guide was created to be used as part of the Language Arts Syllabus for use by Social Studies teachers and guidance counsellors.

Speaking at the project launch at the Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston yesterday, executive director of the commission Cordell Green, said the over-exposure of children to harmful content is the result of the failings of parents to adequately supervise media use as well as content providers.

“…There are parents who either cannot, or will not monitor viewing, whether you provide them with encryption boxes or ratings,” Green noted. Furthermore, he said that while content providers are required to pre-evaluate and assess violent, sexual or profane content and comply with the regulations and codes, ‘there is really very little protection of children unless broadcasters accept their social responsibilities”.

Green said this was “an area of contention” that will be addressed by the regulatory body under its 2007-08 operational plan. Noting the proliferation of available channels, foreign signals, VCRS, DVDS, personal computers, electronic games and increased programming choices, Green said the ‘implications for exposure to potentially harmful content’ was an issue that had to be addressed, especially since a 2001 study has shown that children 10 to 17 years are a large part of the Jamaican media audience, accounting for 16 per cent of radio audience and 20 per cent of television audience. The research also showed that 11-and 12-year-olds watched an average 15 hours of television per week, some as much as 23 per cent. Furthermore, 40 per cent of children live in single-parent homes, while 17 per cent do not live with their parents at all. In addition, 95.4 per cent of the 11-and-12-year-olds sampled had television sets in their home while more than 55.8 per cent had access to cable or satellite television.

“We are seeing as a consequence the erosion of some long-held features of broadcasting such as prime time and family hour; those are under seige,” Green continued.

Green said the vision was to have full integration of media literacy training into the syllabus of all public schools under the Education Ministry, but told the Observer that he was uncertain as to the time period over which this would be done.

In commending the move, UNESCO’s director in Jamaica, Kwame Boafo, said the entity looked forward to helping to push the project beyond the primary level.

According to Boafo, given the rapid development of the media landscape, media literacy has become an imperative.

“It is an excellent product,”Boafo added.

Permanent Secretary in the Education Ministry Maria Jones said the initiative was a ‘timely and important contribution to the ministry’s Education Transformation Project, which is now underway, and would serve to enhance children’s understanding of the media.