Media Market Survey on Education Reporting in Lagos State
DevComs Network was contracted by DEEPEN to assess Current Media Practices as regards education reporting. The study aims to understand how the media market can work for the poor - giving them quality information to make informed choices in a sustainable way. The survey is ongoing and will span 31 working days.

DEEPEN is an innovative programme initiated by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) to use a market-development approach to improve learning outcomes in Lagos’ private schools. Through a Making Markets Work for the Poor (M4P) methodology, the DEEPEN programme works through a portfolio of activities to create an enabling environment and improve the conditions for all private schools, with a particular focus on those that cater for girls and low-income families.

Rationale for Assessment of Current Media Practices

One of the key constraints in the private education sector is the lack of reliable information available to parents, schools and policymakers for making decisions about education. Yet the availability of accurate information is fundamental to understanding, planning and improving educational quality. For such quality to increase, parents must become better informed and more discerning to demand more from their children’s school. Similarly, schools need guidance on best practices to enable them to use the most effective pedagogy. For other stakeholders (such as Government) – a richer information environment with greater scope for evidence-based decision making and advocacy is very important.

Objectives

•   To determine the level and quality of coverage of education issues / contents across Lagos media (radio, TV, print, and online news organizations).
•   To understand the reasons/factors behind the current coverage of public and private education issues by the media
•   To list and define the sources of information on education currently used or preferred by the media
•   To examine the strengths and weakness of media houses’ present business models
•   To compare the media coverage of education with other sectors e.g. health within Lagos
•   To profile Lagos media – detailing their ownership status, audience ratings / listenership (particularly among low-income communities), locations, programme schedule, favourite programmes, main OAPs (on-air personalities), plans for the future.
•   To profile journalists working in the education beat – highlighting their educational and professional background, training needs and past work.
•   To identify new opportunities for sustainable interventions in improving the coverage of (private) education reporting.

More information on the study, contact info@devcomsnetwork.org