GIJ to stiffen admission requirements-Rector

The Rector of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ), Professor Kwamena Kwansah-Aidoo, says the admission requirements of the institute will be stiffened as part of measures to ensure that products produced by the institute meet industry standards.

According to Professor Kwamena Kwansah-Aidoo, the institute wanted to remain relevant to the industry for which reason he became worried when industry players lamented about the quality of products from the institute.

Prof. Kwansah-Aidoo made this known when he paid a courtesy call on the management of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), at the company’s head office in Accra yesterday February 24, 2019.

The rector, Prof. Kwansah-Aidoo was accompanied by the Head of Research and Acting Head of the Department of Communication of the school, Dr. Lawrencia Agyepong and a Senior Lecturer, Mr. Yaw Odame Gyau.

The visit to GCGL was in line with the institute’s effort to deepen its relationship with key stakeholders, including the Graphic Group, as well as agree on possible areas of collaboration.

Prof. Kwansah-Aidoo said the fallen standards of education in the country needed a broader national discourse to find a lasting solution to the development.

“There is the need for a larger conversation to check the fallen standards of education,” he emphasized. “We need to make GIJ what it used to be and our products what people used to know,” he added.

Extolling what he described as the healthy relationship between the institute and the GCGL, Prof. Kwansah-Aidoo said the two institutions had a long-standing relationship that needed to be strengthened for their mutual benefit.

The Rector said the GCGL was probably one of the largest end-users of products from the institute, adding, “GIJ and Graphic are two separate organisations whose paths keep crossing all the time.”

For his part, the Managing Director of the GCGL, Mr. Ato Afful, said the company was a proud partner and a great beneficiary of the services the institute offered.

He urged the GIJ to enhance its training methods in order to produce human capital capable of meeting the needs of the fast-changing society and the job market.

Managing Director of the GCGL, Mr. Afful said the media landscape was fast changing and required students with smarter competencies and skills.

He, therefore, urged the institute to reposition itself to meet the challenges of current media training.

Mr. Afful said that the GCGL, a key partner and beneficiary of the institute, would continue to provide internship opportunities for students from the school.

Managing Director of the GCGL entreated the leadership of the school to encourage its students to write stories and articles for publication in the various brands of the company.

“We will continue to contribute to the development of the school,” Mr. Afful pledged and said, the GCGL would support the institute during the celebration of its 60th anniversary.

The Acting Director of News at the GCGL, Mrs. Mavis Kitcher, reiterated the concern over the quality of products coming out of the institute in recent times, saying “unlike in the past, many graduates who come to do an internship and national service with the company lack many basic skills in journalism.”

Mrs. Mavis Kitcher, therefore, called on the leadership of the institute to give more practical opportunities to its students.

Mrs. Kitcher, however, commended the Institute for its contribution to the media industry, saying “We recognise your importance.”

 

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