Namibia needs MIL ‘for public interest information’
IMAGE: UNESCO
Indications are that there is clearly a need for policies, strategies and more initiatives, especially for children and the youth
Information landscapes, both online and offline, are seriously polluted. The question is what do we do about this?
This week is Global Media and Information Literacy Week worldwide, and the purpose is to raise awareness of the critical need for media and information literacy (MIL) at a global scale.
“The new digital frontiers of information: Media and Information Literacy for public-interest information”.
– UNESCO
The theme speaks to addressing “the transformative impact of emerging technologies such as Generative Artificial Intelligence and the new generation of digital content creators on the production and dissemination of public-interest information, highlighting both opportunities and risks. It will underline the need to empower users with tailored skills to identify, assess and engage with public-interest information online.”
“Media and Information Literacy (MIL) encompasses a range of activities within the field of media development. MIL is defined primarily by its aims, which focus on empowering citizens to access, analyze, create, and reflect on media in order to claim their rights to free information and expression.”
The need for MIL is becoming ever more urgent as more people go online for their information needs, and as more aspects of peoples’ lives, especially those of young people, become increasingly tied to digital communication technologies and services or applications.
“Media and Information Literacy provides a set of essential skills to address the challenges of the 21st century including the proliferation of mis- and disinformation and hate speech, the decline of trust in media and digital innovations notably Artificial Intelligence.”
MIL in Namibia
Namibia does not have a formal MIL policy or strategy.
Despite this, there is a notable civil society MIL project based and operating in Namibia for years now: The Media and Information Literacy Learning Initiative (MiLLi), which is based in the College of the Arts and is substantially funded by DW Akademie.
At the time of writing, the Namibian Ministry of Education was set to commence the piloting of a MIL stream in some schools for the 2025 school-year.
MIL resources
To access educative resources on MIL, see the UNESCO webpages on MIL, which provide publications, videos, proposed curricula and other materials that can be used to generate interventions on MIL.
