Siantou University to Offer Masters, PhD to HND Journalism Holders

The future has been brightened for holders of the Higher National Diploma in Journalism as they can now pursue studies in Masters and PhD at the Siantou University Complex. This follows the sealing of a partnership deal between the Siantou University in Yaounde and the Kinshasa-based Faculty Institute of Information Science and Communication better known through its French acronym as IFASIC (Institut Facultaire des Sciences de l’Information et de la Communication de Kinshasa), last  December 2, 2009 in Yaounde.

The news was made public by the President Director General of Siantou University Complex, Wantou Siantou Lucien after signing the accord on behalf of his institution. Mr.Jean-Lucien Kitima Kasendwe, Rector of IFASIC was on hand to sign the South-South Partnership Accord for his school.

Talking to The SUN Newspaper shortly after the signing ceremony, the President Director General of the School of Majors, Wantou Siantou Lucien said “I decided to undertake such a move because, there was hitherto, no possibility for any young Cameroonian HND holder in journalism to further his or her studies in this noble profession in our country. This pushed me to turn towards IFASIC which is the oldest school that trains journalists and other media professionals created in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1973. With this accord, students in journalism and communication, teachers as well as other media professionals will have the opportunity to continue their training at Siantou University Complex in a variety of fields, such as print media, audiovisual, social communication, multimedia edition and organization communication”. 

Clarifying journalists on possible equivalence of certificates in this accord, Rector Jean-Lucien Kitima Kasendwe reassured that “HND is equivalent to what we call in our country, Bachelor I and Bachelor II simply refers to Masters. So you can observe here that the difference is felt only at the level of terminology. This accord will enable Congolese lecturers to come to Cameroon and give lessons in these fields at Siantou University Complex whenever the need will be expressed and students can come to the Democratic Republic of Congo to further their studies in conformity with UNESCO prescriptions of teachers and students mobility within countries.”

By DOH JAMES SONKEY IN YAOUNDE.