National Workshop on Community Radio in Bangladesh Community Radio is going to be the Voice of Rural people

For the first time in Bangladesh a national workshop on Community Radio Awareness is held on 02-04 March 2008 at Bangladesh Open University (BOU) campus jointly arranged by Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication(BNNRC) and Development Research Network (D.Net) in collaboration with Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA) of Commonwealth of Learning(COL) and Bangladesh Open University(BOU). The workshop took place at the Media Centre in Bangladesh Open University at Gazipur, Dhaka.The workshop is inaugurated by the Hon'ble Vice Chancellor of Bangladesh Open University Professor Dr. M Farid Ahmed. He said during the inauguration, ‘Our day to day life is now highly influenced by the technology. And this particular workshop is going to contribute a big stake in the social and economic development of Bangladesh.Ms. Rumkini Vemraju, the Programme Officer of CEMCA and Mr. Firoj Ahmed, Joint Director of BOU jointly supervise the workshop for the whole three days.Dr. Rumkini in the inaugural ceremony said, ‘CEMCA is working closely with more than 30 Community Radio Station in India.’ She shared the experiences of India and stated to contribute in Bangladesh in relation to community radio.As the special guests Mr. AHM Bazlur Rahman-S21BR, the Chief Executive Officer of BNNRC and Mr. Dr. Ananya Raihan were present in the inaugural session. They expected in their speeches that CEMCA and BOU will contribute endlessly in emergence of Community Radio in Bangladesh.Higher officials from the Media Centre and the Regional Directors of BOU as well as the Higher officials of the NGOs that are working in the remote and coastal areas of Bangladesh have participated in the workshop. The participants from the commercial phone companies who have established the internet outlets in the rural areas in Bangladesh have also joined. In the workshop the technical aspects and content making, studio designing and maintaining, radio station management and broadcasting everything is taught with tremendous care and practical demonstration.Mr. Amit Chakrabarty, the former high official of the very popular Bangla TV Channel of India ‘Tara Bangla’ and Programme Director of World Space Radio, Mr. Monoranjan Das, the advisor of Radio TOday and the former Additional Chief Engineer of Bangldesh Betar and the consultant of ABC Radio Mr. Jamal Uddin Mawla Newaj have facilitated in the workshop. The perspective and Social aspects of the Community Radio is demonstrated by Mr. AHM Bazlur Rahman-S21BR, the CEO of BNNRC.At the end of the three-day workshop the certificates have been distributed among the participants in the gala closing ceremony. Honourable Vice Chancellor and the Treasurer of Bangladesh Open University were present among others in the closing ceremony. Mr. Vice Chancellor said in his closing speech that BOU would support in the skill development of the station managers of forthcoming Community Radio in Bangladesh in future. The workshop expected that the government of Bangladesh would soon open up the pilot basis Community Radio. As the direct result of the workshop the participants are now prepared to run more than 50 CR stations no sooner have the government approve it.