AWANTIPORA: As part of its Industry Connect initiative, the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication (DJMC), Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), organised an educational field visit to the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR), Srinagar on Monday. The visit aimed at providing postgraduate students a practical exposure to communication and media management.
The visit involved two batches of PG students from Semester I and Semester III and began with an overview of the department by Burhan Hussain, JKAS, Cultural Officer and Assistant Director, DIPR, along with Maheer Thakur, JKAS, Information Officer. The officers familiarised the students with the role of DIPR, its organisational hierarchy, human resource structure, and the functioning of various sections, including the audio-visual and new media wings.
Addressing the students, Burhan Hussain encouraged them to actively explore emerging career avenues, stating that students should move forward and look for opportunities. “With the evolving media landscape, there are multiple avenues available today, including public relations, corporate communication, graphic designing and so on,” he said.
Maheer Thakur briefed the students on the administrative setup of DIPR and the role of public relations in governance. He highlighted the designing and publicity work undertaken by the department, citing examples from major government activities. He also elaborated on the functioning of the Social Media Cell, which disseminates information related to government policies, programmes, achievements and daily activities through platforms such as Facebook, X, YouTube and Instagram.
Joint Director Information, DIPR Kashmir, Syed Shahnawaz Bukhari, was also present during the interaction. Students actively engaged with the officials, raising questions on communication strategies, career opportunities and the practical challenges involved in public information dissemination.
As part of the visit, the students toured the Verification Section, Audio-Visual Unit, recording studio, and the editing room, gaining firsthand insight into content production and verification processes.
Later, Amir Ganai, Designer at DIPR, provided an overview of graphic designing, its types and career opportunities, demonstrating applications, such as CorelDRAW. The visit further included interactions at the advertising section, establishment section, and the divisional newsroom.
The educational tour was coordinated by Dr. Rabia Noor, Head, DJMC, while students were accompanied by Dr. Haifaa Mohammad, Assistant Professor, DJMC. The events is a part of the department’s efforts to bridge the gap between academic learning and professional practice by equipping students with real-world exposure to government media and communication operations.