SECTOR 4 Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: Score of previous years: ✓ ✓✓ ✓ ✓✓ ✓✓✓✓ ✓ ✓ 1.9 2017 = 1.9 4.7 Media professionals have access to training facilities offering formal qualification programmes as well as opportunities to upgrade skills There are training institutions, both public and private, that offer media training. These include the University of Zambia, Evelyn Hone College and several private universities. The Zambia Institute of Mass Communication (ZAMCOM) also offers tailored courses. However, access to courses is a concern because of cost. There are also challenges because the staff at a media house can’t be released for extended periods to complete a diploma or degree. Curriculum reviews at training institutions generally invite media professionals to inform curriculum development. During Covid, were challenges in balancing theoretical and practical training at academic institutions. Because students were not physically present, there was more focus on theory and less practical training. To overcome this, MISA Zambia has adopted the online space for training and advocacy and was able to take advocacy activities online. Nevertheless, online training and video conferencing remain challenging due to communication issues, participants not understanding the technology, a lack of access to data, and load shedding. 46 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER ZAMBIA 2021