As a rule, every school and college brings out an annual magazine in which the merits of the institution, the functions and other extracurricular activities and the achievements of the students are highlighted.
The publication of the magazine should not, however, be taken as a ritual or a routine matter. The magazine should and can play an important role and affect all the aspects of the administration of the institution and the life of the students. It should be the voice of the institution, it should represent the institutional affairs and activities in their totality and it should reflect the aspirations and ambitions of those who constitute the fraternity of the learners and the teachers.
It can be made a powerful instrument for discovering and exhibiting the intellectual potentialities of the students. Besides providing entertainment, instruction and enlightenment to the students, the magazine can urge and inspire them to make creative efforts and it can also teach them how to express their views in a good and effective language. The student editors, guided by their teachers, can learn the basics of journalism.
It is a pity that more often than not the interest of the students in the magazine is limited to the desire to see their names in print. And it is deplorable that contributing articles to the magazine is taken very casually and the material is openly plagiarized. With the encouragement of the authorities and the pains taken by the teachers, the students can be taught the art of writing and editing and they can bring out a magazine which is really worth-while.