Thirteen photographers from five countries were accepted to the Diploma in Photojournalism program offered by the Konrad Adenauer Asian Center for Journalism at the Ateneo de Manila University (ACFJ). Now on its sixth batch, the program will begin in May 2010. All applicants to the program were screened for admission based on their experience in photojournalism, commitment to their craft, and potential for professional growth. After careful deliberations, seven scholars were selected to receive a full coverage of their tuition and miscellaneous fees, travel and lodging allowances during on-campus sessions, and book allowances. The scholars are:
- Cheryl Baldicantos, Staff Photographer, Manila Bulletin, Philippines
- Eric Bosire, Senior Photographer, Kenya News Agency, Kenya
- Aileen Camille Dimatatac, Media Assistant, Greenpeace Southeast Asia, Philippines
- Didit Majalolo, Galeri Foto Journalistic Antara, Indonesia
- Tumpa Mondal, Xinhua News Agency, India
- Nishant Ratnakar, Senior Photographer, DNA News Bangalore, India
- Jofelle Tesorio, Assistant Editor, Asia News Network, Thailand
Joining them for the academic year of 2010 to 2011 are: Roslyn Arayata, Miguel Cortez, Samuel Genita, Jr., Robertson Laurel, Jose Van Rojo Luneta, Leo Solinap, and Jeremy Jones Villasis. The seven-course Diploma in Photojournalism was developed jointly by ACFJ and the World Press Photo, a media NGO based in The Netherlands. It seeks to raise the bar for photojournalism in Asia by providing comprehensive training to working photojournalists.
The one-year program, which uses a blend of online and classroom teaching methods, aims to provide students a mastery of the photographic, visual and newsgathering principles and skills as well as the ethical foundations of photojournalism. Comprising the curriculum are three core courses, three specialized courses and a final output – the portfolio. Each course takes about two months. As of March 2009, 26 Asian photojournalists and media workers have finished the program.
