The Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Gender and Development includes the following provision: ‘To ensure that gender is mainstreamed in all information, communication, and media policies, programmes, laws and training.’

Following this mandate this research has emerged as a product of the Gender and Media Diversity Centre (GMDC) Advisory Group meeting held in February 2009. The participants suggested research be undertaken of gender in media education and training to assist in identifying what the most strategic interventions for gender mainstreaming will be in institutions of higher learning.

The objectives of the GIME audit are to:

• Establish whether or not gender is integrated in media education and training.
• Identify gaps in current media/journalism education and training in Southern Africa with regard to mainstreaming gender in the curriculum.
• Determine whether or not Gender Links materials and electronic resources are being used in media education and training in the Southern Africa.
• Utilise the findings to develop strategic interventions to ensure sustained gender mainstreaming in media education and training.

The findings of the audit are projected to assist in understanding the media education and training landscape as well as provide a quantitative and qualitative measure of how training institutions have mainstreamed gender and where the gaps lie.