The International Media Support (IMS) Pakistan programme is proud to announce the establishment of the Coalition of Media Education and Teaching (CoMET), a pioneering alliance uniting over 30 university and college-level media studies departments from across Pakistan.
CoMET was formally launched in Lahore on 27 October 2025, following a national consultation under the aegis of IMS on “Modernising Media Education in Pakistan” to discuss the findings and recommendations of a landmark research report examining media-related academia landscape.
Media studies departments from 34 universities and colleges across Pakistan proclaimed the Coalition as established, becoming its founding members and declaring that CoMET’s principal mission will be to bring together Pakistan’s media higher education community to collaboratively address the challenges and opportunities of a rapidly evolving, tech-driven media landscape that can be served by media-related academia.
The Coalition’s founding charter said CoMET aims to foster academic excellence by promoting modern and updated curricula, innovative teaching methods, and robust assessment standards. It is dedicated to strengthening collaboration among educators, researchers, and practitioners, sharing resources and expertise, and advancing media literacy and critical thinking among students.
“This consensus reflects a shared commitment to advancing excellence, innovation and integrity in media education that deserves support from a variety of stakeholders interested in promoting modern pedagogy, professional media and public interest journalism,” Adnan Rehmat, the IMS Pakistan programme manager said.
The national consultation was hosted by IMS partner Department of Digital Media of the University of The Punjab and organised by IMS partner Freedom Network. The Coalition resulted from the discussions on the findings and recommendations of the ground-breaking research report “Modernizing Media Education in Pakistan: Challenges and Solutions”. The report is a mapping study of university and college level journalism and communications studies programs and departments of Pakistan. It was co-authored by Dr. Shafiq Ahmed Kamboh and Adnan Rehmat and produced by IMS partner IRADA.
The CoMET charter identifies its objectives as supporting professional development for faculty; advocating for academic freedom and ethical standards; mobilising resources through national and international partnerships; developing model curriculum and organising conferences and workshops; facilitating collaborative research and launching faculty development programmes tailored to Pakistan’s media environment.
CoMET will operate through a voluntary representative steering committee of the departments and supported by a digital secretariat facilitated by Mediastan, the IMS Pakistan online resource portal. Membership is open to all university and college-level media departments as well as individual educators and professionals dedicated to the advancement of media education in Pakistan.
IMS has a history of supporting the media education sector in Pakistan. In 2023, it facilitated the establishment of the Coalition Against Disinformation (CAD), which now includes around 15 media departments as members as well as media organisations and media development groups. CAD focuses on promoting awareness around the issues of information integrity and combating disinformation.
Both CoMET and CAD, supported by IMS and its partners, will continue working to promote academic development, media literacy and combatting misinformation. IMS will continue to facilitate initiatives and activities that advance academic excellence, ethical standards and innovation in media education, ensuring that Pakistan’s media educators and students are equipped to meet the demands of the digital age.
