Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) will start a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) programme next academic year to help train more lecturers for teaching and research in media studies.
The institute also intends to add a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programme once the MPhil programme gets underway.
The Deputy Rector of GIJ, Professor Eric Opoku Mensah, disclosed this when the 2001 Year Alumni group donated some books to the institute last Friday.
Donation
The donation was to help augment the collection of books in the institute’s library and help students in their studies.
Led by Mr Enoch Darfah Frimpong, who is also the Assistant Online Editor at Graphic Communications Group Ltd, the year group donated books such as ‘The Art of Public Speaking,’ ‘Understanding Political Institutions’, ‘Comparative Government and Politics: An Introduction’ and ‘Advertising, Promotion and Other Aspects of Integrated Marketing’.
Receiving the books, Prof. Mensah emphasised the need for alumni to come together to support their alma mater.
“I think that what we should do where there are some capacity issues lacking is to constantly contribute in one way or the other to grow and strengthen the institution,” he said.
He said many old students tend to focus attention on their secondary schools instead of their tertiary institutions and, therefore, commended the 2001-year group’s gesture.
New programmes
On the introduction of the MPhil and PhD programmes, Prof. Mensah explained that it was a need that ought to be satisfied by the institute, which was aimed at training human resources for the media field.
“So all alumni who intend to get back into the teaching profession so far as media studies is concerned should look back to GIJ next year,” he stated.
The deputy rector called on other year groups to get on board to contribute to the growth of the institute.
Be proud of GIJ
Prof. Mensah urged all Alumni to be proud of their school, adding that, “it is important that what you have become, or what you become should be largely credited to a school because if you take out our certificates, so far as our first-degree certificates are concerned, technically you are removing your very foundation.
“So, I am worried when anybody makes very disparaging remarks about his or her school. It is not the best of things a person could say in public. And I think that, what we should do if we feel there are capacity issues still lacking, we should constantly contribute in one way or the other,” he said.
Librarian
A senior librarian of GIJ, Madam Lydia Nyantakyi-Baah, expressed gratitude for the kind gesture and commended the efforts of the 2001-Alumni year group.
She mentioned that the donation by the 2001 alumni would serve as a call to the other year groups to also help the school.
GIJ is a premier university specialised in communication courses.
The school was founded by Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, in October 1959.