The Executive Committee of the Communication and Journalism Educators’ Network (CJEN) Bangladesh Working Groups met online on 15 September to begin preparations for the Network’s 2026 Annual Conference Business Session and to set in motion the development of one-year operational plans for the newly constituted Working Groups. The meeting brought together the leadership of six CJEN Working Groups: Membership; Communication; Policy, Research and Publications; Training and Capacity Building; Resource Materials Development; and Networking and Partnership Building.
The meeting was held as part of CJEN’s preparations for its 11th Annual Conference, scheduled for 27–28 November 2026 at Independent University Bangladesh (IUB). The Conference Business Session will provide an opportunity for the CJEN Executive Committee and members to review priorities and consider the Working Groups’ proposed plans for the coming year.
From Strategy to Action
A key focus of the meeting was translating CJEN’s Strategic Development Plan into specific, achievable and measurable activities. Each Working Group was asked to develop a one-year operational plan covering September 2026 to August 2027. The Working Groups were encouraged to concentrate on three to five strategic priorities rather than an extensive list of activities, recognizing CJEN’s volunteer-based structure. The planning process was guided by a central question:
“If we meet again one year from now, what three things would we want to be able to say CJEN has actually accomplished?”
The proposed plans will identify priority activities, expected outputs, lead persons, partners, timelines, resources and success indicators.
Six Areas of Action
The Working Groups were assigned distinct but complementary areas of responsibility.
The Networking and Partnership Building Working Group focused on strengthening connections among journalism and communication educators, universities, media organizations and international partners, including opportunities for joint research, internships, faculty exchanges and industry–academia collaboration.
The Training and Capacity Building Working Group was tasked with identifying and addressing emerging skills needs among educators and students, with particular attention to AI, digital journalism, fact-checking, data journalism, mobile journalism and multimedia storytelling.
The Policy, Research and Publications Working Group would advance collaborative research and evidence-based policy engagement while exploring publications such as research reports, policy briefs, textbooks, working papers and other knowledge products.
The Resource Materials Development Working Group would work toward developing and curating teaching and learning resources, including open educational resources, teaching cases, toolkits and materials addressing the Bangladesh context.
The Communication Working Group would focus on strengthening CJEN’s positioning, visibility and engagement through its website, social media, branding and other communication channels.
The Membership Working Group would work toward building an inclusive and active professional and academic community by reviewing membership categories, expanding institutional and individual participation, and strengthening member engagement and retention.
Building Toward the 11th CJEN Conference
Following the meeting, the Chairs and Co-Chairs were expected to work with their respective Working Groups through 29 October 2026 to develop their proposed operational plans. The plans were scheduled to be presented to the CJEN Executive Committee on 30 October for discussion, feedback and approval before being presented at the 11th CJEN Annual Conference.
The meeting represented an important step in strengthening CJEN’s organizational structure and moving from strategic priorities to concrete action. Through its Working Groups, CJEN is seeking to build a stronger national platform for collaboration, professional development, research, knowledge sharing and partnership among journalism and communication educators and stakeholders in Bangladesh.
