Dear Sir,
Greetings and I warmly welcome you to the premiere communication University in Sub-Saharan Africa. I must first of all, congratulate you for your new appointment at the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ).
Having read and heard you on several platforms with regards to your various portfolios and achievements, there is no doubt that your ultimate priority is to put our noble institution on the pedestal.
I can't continue without commending these two personalities; the former Rector, Dr. Wilberforce Dzisah and the immediate past acting Rector, Dr. Fosu Modestus for firmly holding the baton in the steering of the affairs of the institute until then.
Prof., I know with your vast experience in the academia from the international community, seeing the position of GIJ since its establishment is not anything to be proud of despite much effort. But I hope your tenure will be the resurrection of what have been missing since.
With your indulgence let me use this opportunity to also highlight some important things that must be addressed quickly.
First of all is the delay in release and publication of exam results. Exams are taken every semester each year and as such, parents are expected to pay full fees of their wards before the academic year ends. While we force parents to make the above commitment, the school must also ensure that value for money is felt. The delay in the release of results sometimes causes trauma at home because students as well as parents are eager to see how their children are performing before another semester or academic year begins. But in GIJ, one has to wait until a month or two after resuming school before results are published on the notice board. After the notice board, another 3 or 4 months have to come before it will be uploaded online.
Those of us whose parents are living afar or outside the country will always want to check this information online but to no avail. While it takes much longer to get these results online, sometimes mistakes are made as some results don’t tally with what was initially published and also people having problem with their results have to spend not less than a year to get it ratified or give up to rewrite. Even with the resit, it takes ages.
I know you've seen the plight of some students this year who were frustrated before their graduation. Some also have to graduate before they rewrite a paper that they haven't failed but because their grades can't be found. It appears this is an annual problem as it happens almost every year with this year not exception.
As I am writing this, the 2017/18 results are yet to be updated online. What is currently on the portal is grade "E" for all courses taken in that particular academic year. As my dad called the academic affairs earlier last two months, he was told the department was busy with preparing graduation lists hence results will be online afterwards. Fast forward the SRC released a deadline for fees payment for the 2018/19 academic year.
The worrying aspect of this is how GHS150 will be accrued for late payment. This hasn't gone down well as the school needs things done early but not in return. But sir will you continue to be in a business with someone who doesn't deliver on time? What happens to the school's core values "communication with integrity and excellence"?
As we discuss this, in the year 2016/17 all those in level 200 now going to level 300 were given grade "E" in creative writing and English language usage. Follow ups were made till now, it hasn't been ratified. Not that the students failed in those courses but one can't imagine how it occurred.
Rector, is it not long overdue as we allow lecturers to upload results on the student portal as it is done in other jurisdictions to curb these happenings? Or it is time we delegated and measured progress every year?
Prof., there is this culture of silence among students who have been grieving in their hearts as far as academic issues are concerned but where and how to express these views are not available.
The fear of being victimized or slapped with unsatisfied class after completion has been hindering many over the years. But can there be a forum created where grievances can be channeled without fear or favor? While we are trained to be vocal and speak to issues freely in society, there is an indirect control of speech in GIJ as students can only boil in their hearts without spewing it out.
My second issue has to do with admission forms and lists. Prof. is it not surprising that as a communication institute we are obsolete in this digital revolution? Parents from far and near had to find their way to the school before taking an admission letter, submitting an admission form and registering for an academic.
I'm not sure if other universities across the country are doing same in this technological Era. Prof., why can't we leverage on technology to be able to reduce the cost, stress and the frustration of many?
A simple student information management system can be designed on a robust server, where people can apply and print out admission letters or perform any other function or access information online without necessarily coming to the school.
Sometimes, parents or individuals have to be visiting the school for little information or help that should easily be done online.
In simple term the school lacks modern way of effective communication. Almost all universities including those that are established recently are ahead of the premiere communication school. Hence nothing seems to be working for the school's progress.
My third issue has to do with the Students' Representative Council (SRC). Every year, there are issues of financial misappropriation or malfeasance of the SRC. Who are these officers accountable to? How are the authorities playing an oversight responsibility on these Reps? There has always been an issue with the SRC's audit report which supposed to provide a detailed information about income and expenditure. But it has become the norm of every new administration to accuse the previous regime of malfeasance.
Although dues are paid every semester, GHS90 and 50cedis for both new and continuing students respectively. Where and how these monies are spent is known to few. In the year 2016/17, an amount of GHS10,000 was donated to the SRC from Stanbic Bank to cater for those who were finding it difficult to pay their fees but was diverted elsewhere with no better explanation. This has raised an eyebrow among many calling for the head of the regime leader.
For this reason, Prof, I would like you to demand for all the audit reports from the SRC for a probe that is if any is available at all and moving forward I suggest that all SRC executives’ certificates are ceased until they clear themselves to the new administration to enhance transparency and accountability.
But while we do this, I would like to add that no single SRC executive should be awarded a class below second class upper because they spend much of their time articulating students’ affairs.
In order not to lose relevance of previous issues raised, I will end it here, looking forward to see a change.
There are more to come.
Thanks.
Your student
Richard Mensah
Email:mensahrichard2731@gmail.com.
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