Education has been recognized as the prime moving force in economic and social development. Adisehiah (1970 P.31) has rightly said, “No education means no development, little education means little development, more education means more development.
Education and development share parental features, one is the progeny and the other offspring”. During the last decades International organization like UNESCO have been playing pivotal role in bringing about awareness on the importance of education and making it available to most of the people particularly in the third world. “Every one has the right to education “proclaims the article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The development has many facts individual, social cultural, economic and so on. In all these developmental areas, Mass media can work as catalytic agents and help accelerating the pace of progress in the developing countries. The mass media, particularly print media should be given importance for its role. The educational functions of newspaper are discussed below:
1. Current Events Study and its analysis:
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News-paper describes and analysis current events of national, international and local importance. It presents socio-political and economic news with details to develop an insight into the matter among the readers.
2. Vocational Knowledge:
Newspapers bring out information about the job opportunity, discussion about production and consumption of wealth notices, advertisement of public and private sectors, rate of commodities and other valuable information.
3. Development of Socio-Political Consciousness:
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The educative role of newspaper is to bring about proper knowledge and the socio-political awareness among the people. Articles related to health, fashion design and son on are also published to make the people/reader’s knowledge up to date.
Newspaper is a powerful means to bring socio-political change and ensure better understanding of people about their rights and duties as citizens and act as the public platform to express views even against the Government.